| Kankakee River | |
|---|---|
 View of the river fromKankakee, Illinois, near Cobb Park | |
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| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Indiana,Illinois |
| Region | Upper Illinois River Valley, Upper Mississippi Basin |
| Cities | South Bend, Indiana,Kankakee, Illinois |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | St. Joseph County, Indiana |
| • location | Portage Township,St. Joseph County,Indiana |
| • coordinates | 41°39′14.864″N86°18′19.0404″W / 41.65412889°N 86.305289000°W /41.65412889; -86.305289000 |
| • elevation | 725 ft (221 m) |
| Mouth | Illinois River |
• location | Goose Lake Township,Illinois |
• coordinates | 41°23′25.4292″N88°15′37.1478″W / 41.390397000°N 88.260318833°W /41.390397000; -88.260318833 |
• elevation | 508 ft (155 m) |
| Length | 133 mi (214 km) |
| Basin size | 5,150 sq mi (13,300 km2) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Wilmington, Will County, Illinois |
| • average | 4,823 cu ft/s (136.6 m3/s) |
| • minimum | 204 cu ft/s (5.8 m3/s) |
| • maximum | 75,900 cu ft/s (2,150 m3/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Kankakee River →Illinois →Mississippi →Gulf of Mexico |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Yellow River,Iroquois River |
| • right | Little Kankakee River,Crooked Creek (Indiana) |
TheKankakee River is a tributary of theIllinois River, approximately 133 miles (214 km) long,[2] in theCentral Corn Belt Plains of northwesternIndiana and northeasternIllinois in the United States. At one time, the river drained one of the largestwetlands inNorth America and furnished a significantportage between theGreat Lakes and theMississippi River. Significantly altered from its original channel, it flows through a primarily rural farming region of reclaimed cropland, south ofLake Michigan.
The Kankakee rises in northwestern Indiana, approximately five miles (8.0 km) southwest ofSouth Bend, Indiana. It flows in a straightchannelized course, generally southwestward through rural northwestern Indiana, collecting theYellow River from the south inStarke County, and passing the communities ofSouth Center andEnglish Lake. It forms the border betweenLaPorte,Porter, andLake counties on the north and Starke,Jasper, andNewton counties on the south. The river curves westward and ceases to be channelized as it entersKankakee County in northeastern Illinois. Approximately three miles (4.8 km) southeast of the city ofKankakee, it receives theIroquois River from the south and turns sharply to the northwest for its lower 35 miles (56 km). It joins theDes Plaines River from the south to form theIllinois River, approximately 50 miles (80 km) southwest ofChicago.
The Kankakee River Basin drains 2,989 square miles (7,740 km2) in northwestIndiana, 2,169 square miles (5,620 km2) in northeast Illinois, and about seven square miles (18 km2) in southwestLower Michigan. The Kankakee River heads near South Bend, then flows westward into Illinois, where it joins with the Des Plaines River to form the Illinois. The area of Lake County (Indiana) which originally drained to Lake Michigan but now drains by means of artificial diversion to the Illinois River is not considered to be part of the Kankakee River Basin study region. Although the Kankakee River basin includes portions of Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan, the discussion below will focus on the Indiana portion of the basin.[3]
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The Kankakee Outwash and Lacustrine Plain, a large and poorly drained plain, comprises approximately the southern quarter of both Lake and Porter counties. It is the most recent of the three landscape regions to face the pressures of impending urbanization. Large portions of the area were once marshland associated with the meandering Kankakee River, which, for eight or nine months of the year, was flanked on both sides by wetlands. The marsh area was three to four miles (4.8 to 6.4 km) wide and contained water one to four feet (0.30 to 1.22 m) deep.[5] The low marshland was broken by infrequent islands of sand blown into dunes. The sand islands were the sites of Indian encampments and later of pioneer homes. The Kankakee marsh was an effective barrier to early southerly exploration of both counties, but the area has been progressively drained by ditches constructed during the past 60 years.[6]
The Kankakee River Basin is a product of theWisconsin Glacial Episode. It is a remnant of the glacial lakes that comprised the Lake Michigan lobe of the ice sheet. Landscape elements include 1) the nearly level plains of a ground moraine, 2)eolian (wind driven deposits) plains, 3) outwash deposits, 4) the central river basin and 5)end moraines forming the north, middle and southern borders. Local relief varies from 60 feet (18 m) along the Iroquois Moraine, up to 100 feet (30 m) on theValparaiso Moraine. Deposits range from 50 to 100 feet (15 to 30 m) in the lower basin (western). The deepest deposits of 100 to 250 feet (30 to 76 m) are in the upper basin (eastern). Along the Valparaiso Moraine, deposits can reach 350 feet (110 m) thick.[7]
Outwash deposits occur primarily along the northern border of the basin. The southern half of the Kankakee Basin, south of the main river channel, is characterized by the fine-grained sediments that are wind driven, forming a series of broad eolian sand dunes and ridges. These are of moderate height.lacustrine silts and clays are mixed with the various waterborne and wind driven deposits throughout the basin.[7]
The bedrock underlying the Kankakee Basin is primarily ofSilurian age. There are also strata from theDevonian, andMississippian periods. The Silurian rocks are primarilydolomite andlimestone.[8] A major subterranean feature is the Kankakee Arch; it is an extension of theCincinnati Arch. North of the arch, the strata dip towards Lake Michigan and theMichigan Basin. To the south, the strata dips southwest toward theIllinois Basin. Within the Kankakee Basin (Lake,Jasper, andPulaski counties), the rock strata are nearly flat, being at the top of the arch.[9]
The Advanced Hydrological Prediction Service[10] contains current data for river depths.
Contrary to what may be shown in online mapping sites or GPS software, the bridge over the Kankakee River on State Line Road near the public ramp at the Indiana–Illinois state line is closed and partially dismantled. Some fishing maps and websites about the river may include road directions to the public ramp at the state line, with outdated information. The public ramp is located on the north side of the river, and with the bridge out, it is not accessible from the south side, fromIllinois Route 114/Indiana State Road 10. As of September 7, 2008, the old iron bridge at the Indiana–Illinois state line often clears the water by only approximately 3 feet (0.9 m), making it possible to pass beneath only in small boats, canoes, etc.[11]
The Kankakee River was originally formed around 16,000 years ago by an event known as theKankakee Torrent. Aglacial lake resulting from meltwater from theWisconsin glaciation breached themoraines (located in what is today northern Indiana) holding it in. The resultant flood created the bed of the Kankakee River and had even greater impact in what is today the state of Illinois.[12]
Up through the early 19th century, the river furnished an important water transportation route through theIllinois Country for bothNative Americans and earlyEuropean settlers, notably theFrenchfur trappers. The headwaters of the river near present-day South Bend allowed a portage to theSt. Joseph River, which drains intoLake Michigan, as well as furnishing a subsequent portage to theLake Erie watershed. The Kankakee, thus, was part of an inlandcanoe route connecting the Great Lakes to the Illinois River and subsequently to the Mississippi River.[13]
Until the end of the 19th century, the river was nearly 240 miles (390 km) long, flowing in a highlymeandering course through a vast complex of wetlands surrounding the river, that was known as the Grand Kankakee Marsh.[14] Encompassing 5,300 square miles (14,000 km2), it was one of the largest marsh wetlands in the United States.
Today, the Kankakee essentially forms the county line between LaPorte and Starke counties. However, when the two counties were originally proposed, Starke County's borders were such that the river divided the county and effectively isolated the north-west portion. In order to reach the rest of the county, it was necessary for residents in this area to travel some distance east to Lemon's bridge, before making the journey south. These residents petitioned the state to be annexed by LaPorte County, and this was done on January 28, 1842. The area of land relinquished by Starke County became the townships ofCass,Dewey,Hanna, andPrairie in LaPorte County.[1]
Beginning in the mid-19th century, much of the basin of wetlands was drained to create cultivated cropland. Two large ditches were constructed in 1858, as part of the Swamp Act of 1852, the first attempt to drain the marsh. A lobby grew among the large landholders in Lake County who advocated the complete drainage of the marsh, but due to theAmerican Civil War and the subsequent economic downturn, little action occurred until the 1880s. In 1884, meetings were held by land owners in South Bend to discuss the drainage of the marsh. Two of the largest landholders agreed to build a network of drainage ditches in their lands to begin draining the eastern edge of the marsh. State funding was granted to the project during the term of Indiana GovernorClaude Matthews and the project was expanded to include the entire marsh. At the time, it was heralded as a great advance for the state which was also in the process of draining theGreat Black Swamp. By 1910, most of the marshlands were drained and work on rerouting the Kankakee River began. In 1917, the river was dredged to make it significantly deeper; by 1922, the process was mostly completed and the river was several miles shorter than its original course.[15]
The upper river was also highlychannelized withlevees to allow easier transport of cut timber from the wetlands to saw mills downstream in Illinois. The channelization aided in the desiccation of the surrounding wetlands and reduced the river to less than half of its original length. Of the original marsh, only 30,000 acres (12,000 ha) remain, comprising approximately one percent of the original area. The channelization of the river has rendered it especially prone toflooding. Starting in the 1980s, federal and state efforts have attempted to restore part of the originalfloodplain of the river through strategic widening of the levees.
The river remains a popular destination for recreational canoeing andfishing for warm-water species.Kankakee River State Park is located along the river, northwest of Kankakee, Illinois. The 4,095-acre (16.57 km2)Kankakee Fish and Wildlife Area is located in Indiana.
The headwaters of the Kankakee River is southwest of downtownSouth Bend, Indiana, within the city limits. An area of wetlands and springs to the northwest of the South Bend Ethanol Plant is the start of the Kankakee River. An old Indian portage, about two miles (3.2 km) long, stretched from this area towards the northeast to what are today Highland and Riverview cemeteries, along what were once the banks of theSt. Joseph River, but now forms a bank of Pinhook Park Lagoon. The St. Joseph River drains into Lake Michigan. The famous Council Oak Tree stood along this portage about 300 yards (270 m) from the St. Joseph River. Farms fields cover what was once a marshland.[16]
The river has been "ditched" and is called Dixon West Place Ditch. BelowCrumstown, Geyer Ditch joins it from the north, flowing out ofBerrien County in southernMichigan.[17]
The Kankakee River passes through the southeast corner ofStarke County. Here it takes on a more natural appearance with wetlands spreading out along both sides of the river. The river channels form the northern border between Starke County andLaPorte County to its north. These are some of the more extensive wetlands along the upper river. TheKankakee Fish and Wildlife Area is a state managed wildlife area, heavily managed to control water levels throughout the year. Here, theYellow River (the second largest branch of the Kankakee) joins the main river.[17]
The Kankakee River also forms the southern boundary ofPorter County, delimiting an area of farm land and wetland forest. Throughout this area, the Kankakee is also called the Marble Power Ditch. This is the heart of the Grand Kankakee Marsh, which was drained in the early 20th century.
The earliest recorded crossing of the Kankakee was at Baum's Bridge, on South Baum's Bridge Road (Porter County) to CR 200 W (Jasper County). The other historic crossing between Porter County and Jasper County isDunn's Bridge, further east; CR 500 E (Porter County) to CR 400 E (Jasper County).[17]
Jasper County is south of the Kankakee River and dotted with sand hills and wetlands. Much of the area has been drained to create farmland, but numerous conservation areas have been established along the river's borders, such as theAukiki Wetland Conservation Area and the surroundingNIPSCO Savanna.[17]
The Kankakee River forms the border betweenLake County to the north andNewton County on the south. Along this section of the river, the channel has been straightened, passing betweenShelby on the north andThayer on the south. The LaSalle Fish and Wildlife Area dominates both sides of the river, as it makes its exit from Indiana and enters Illinois.
Entering Illinois, the river returns to its natural channel, winding its way toMomence, Illinois. This is the last section of the Grand Kankakee Marsh that has never been ditched. It is at Momence that the river crosses a seven-mile (11 km) limestone shelf, referred to as the Momence Dam. This natural feature's resistance to erosion created a blockage in the flow of the Kankakee River, backing up water and thereby creating the Grand Marsh that once covered 500,000 acres (200,000 ha). The dam's removal is part of the story of the draining the marsh.
Beyond Momence, the river takes on a more traditional image, flowing across the rolling hills ofKankakee County.
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The river entersWill County, Illinois, through the City ofWilmington before joining theDes Plaines River. Here, in theDes Plaines Fish and Wildlife Area, the two rivers form theIllinois River for the journey to theMississippi River.
Because of the river's wide valley and historic great marsh, there are few towns on the river throughout the entire length of Indiana. Most towns are located either north or south, on high ground, just outside the marshes. Today, the marshes have been drained and it is not apparent why the towns are so far from the river.[16]
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Kankakee River (main stem)
Yellow River Branch
Iroquois River Branch
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
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