USA > Indiana > St Joseph County > A history of St. Joseph County, Indiana, Volume 1 > Part 42
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VI. DRAINAGE.
Not the least important of the publie im- provements of St. Joseph county has been the drainage of our low lands. Not only have the swamps and other wet lands in this way been reclaimed and made fertile and pro- ductive, but such drainage has been one of the most effective means for the improvement of the publie highways. If it is true, as recent- ly declared by the United States postal author- ities, that the public roads of Indiana are better improved than those of any other state in the Union, there need be no doubt that this excellent condition is first of all due to the thorough drainage which has been made. Grading, graveling and macadamizing are of course necessary for the making of the best roads; but all such work would be quite use- less if the roads were not first thoroughly drained. The steps to be taken for the mnak- ing of good roads, then, are, first of all. thorough drainage, then grading and gravel- ing. or the putting down of other material for a solid roadbed.
Sec. 1 .- THE SWAMP LAND ACT .- On Sep- tember 28, 1850, congress passed the swamp land act, giving to the several states "the
a. The first copy of this paper, then called "The North-Western Pioneer and St. Joseph's In- telligencer," was issued at South Bend, November 16, 1831. It was the first newspaper published in this region, north of the Wabash or west of Detroit.
245
HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.
swamp and overflowed lands therein." to enable such states to reclaim said lands by the construction of "the necessary levees and drains:" This grant of the gen- eral government was consequently coupled with the following condition: "Provided, however. That the proceeds of said lands. whether from sale or by direet appropriation in kind, shall be applied, exclusively. as far as necessary, to the purpose of reclaiming said lands by means of the levees and drains aforesaid."" Under this aet the state of Indiana came into pos- session of the lands of the Kankakee valley and other overflowed lands, and the state made some feeble attempts to comply with the proviso requiring that the lands so acquired should be drained. The drainage attempted was inefficient and altogether inadequate, and the old state ditches thus constructed have long been filled up. In fact, they were never of any value. In 1850, the people of the state were without either knowledge or means for the drainage of the Kankakee.
The subject of the drainage of this vast valley continued, however, to be agitated by the people, and by an act approved April 11. 1881. the general assembly authorized the governor to appoint a civil engineer to make a survey of the Kankakee region and other large districts of wet lands in the state, with a view of determining the best method of drainage.b
Sec. 2 .- PROFESSOR CAMPBELL'S SURVEY .- Governor Albert G. Porter, with the utmost wisdom. appointed as eivil engineer under this act Professor John L. Campbell, of Wa- hash College, the most competent man in the state for the position. Professor Campbell's report is so important a historical doenment in relation to St. Joseph county, and indeed to all northern Indiana, that it seems well to preserve it entire as he sent it to the governor. His survey was the first movement towards the successful drainage of the great valley,
a. See Tolleston Club v. State, 141 Indiana Supreme Court Reports, p. 197.
b. Acts, 1881, pp. 561-563.
and no history of any part of northwestern Indiana would be complete without a refer- ence to this report." The writer had the pleasure of receiving from Professor Camp- bell the following letter enclosing a copy of this report :
U. S. COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY, Crawfordsville. Jan. 19, 1889. Senator Howard,
Dear Sir: I enelose to you a copy of my report on the Kankakee made in 1881 which may be of some service to you in the consid- eration of the bill introduced by you for the removal of the obstruction at Momence, Ill.
My estimate for this work on page 26 was $22,500, which was a minimum or a very low estimate. Your proposed $40,000 is much bet- ter. Wishing you success,
Very truly yours, J. L. CAMPBELL. REPORT UPON THE
IMPROVEMENT OF THE KANKAKEE RIVER AND THIE DRAINAGE OF THE MARSH LANDS IN INDIANA. By John L. Campbell, Chief Engineer.
To His Excellency, Albert G. Porter, Gov- ernor of Indiana :
Sir-I have the honor herewith to report the results of my surveys of the Kankakee region, and of the marsh lands in Allen, Huntington and Knox counties, which were made in accordance with your general instrue- tions, under the act of the general assembly, approved April 11, 1881.
I had the honor to acknowledge, May 5, 1882, the receipt of my commission from you as chief engineer, and I proceeded immediately to make the preliminary examinations and preparations necessary for beginning the field work July 1. 1882.
It was deemed expedient to provide tents and camp equipage for the field eorps, and this outlay was more than justified in the actual saving in the cost of subsistence, and in the increased facilities for the prosecution of the work.
The chief instruments needed for the sur- vey were the transit and the level, and these were rented at a small cost. The chain and other minor things required were purchased.
In the organization of the field corps, with your approval, Messrs. Albert B. Anderson,
a. For some account of the Topography of St. Joseph county, see Chap. 1, of this history.
246
HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.
John M. Coulter, and Alfred R. Orton were appointed assistant engineers.
In the division of work Mr. Anderson per- formed the duties of general assistant engi- neer, and took special charge of the recon- noissance in advance of the corps. For this position he had been well fitted by the ex- perience of three years as my assistant in the United States Geodetic Survey in In- diana.
Prof. John M. Coulter, of Wabash College, was assigned to the position of surveyor, and in addition to his duties with the transit, he was specially charged with the examinations of the soil and underlying strata, which you directed to be made along the line of the survey. Prof. Coulter's well-known reputa- tion as one of our most learned botanists and geologists. is the best evidence of his fitness for the part of the work committed to him.
Mr. Orton, an accomplished civil engineer. with a successful experience of fifteen years. was assigned to the most important position of leveler. The lines of levels run by Mr. Orton on this survey were carefully tested by repetition, and are believed to be accurate in every particular.
The other members of the corps were: Rod- men. Jesse Blair and George W. Benton : flagmen. Charles B. Landis and Edwin H. Anderson ; chainmen, George W. McConnell and Henry Forsland: axeman. James M. Simpson; commissaries, William H. Scott and William H. Shooler ; cook, Wesley Foster.
The faithfulness and efficiency of every member of the corps are cordially acknowl- edged.
In the many exposures and hardships inci- dent to a survey through the Kankakee marshes, there was no shrinking from duty. and I am glad to add that not a day was lost by any one on account of sickness.
Our tents were pitched on the first of July, near South Bend. and the field work was con- tinned from that date, without interruption, until August 30.
GENERAL TOPOGRAPHY.
The Kankakee region in Indiana lies chiefly in the connties of St. Joseph. Laporte, Starke, Jasper, Porter. Newton and Lake.
The Kankakee river takes its rise in the elevated marsh land near South Bend, in Sec. 16, T. 37 N., R. 2 E .; thence it runs through St. Joseph county to Sec. 14, T. 36 N., R. 1 E., from which point it forms the boundary line between Laporte. Porter, and Lake on
the north, and St. Joseph, Starke, Jasper, and Newton counties on the south.
The river leaves the state in Sec. 1, T. 31 N .. R. 10 W., and in the state of Illinois, by its junction with the Des Plaines. forms the Illinois river.
The Kankakee river is noted for its extreme crookedness. Father Stephan, who made a careful survey of the channel, reports two thousand bends from the source at South Bend to Momence, Illinois. By the same authority the approximate length of the river between these points is two hundred and forty miles.
The water in the stream is remarkably clear and is of excellent quality for domestic pur- poses. The iron, and possibly other mineral substances held in solution, give the water valuable tonie properties.
The exceptional healthfulness of the Kan- kakee region as compared with other large swamp districts. may be due in a great meas- ure to these mineral qualities.
The bed of the river generally is sand and fine gravel, and the banks are very low. The chief tributaries of the Kankakee on the north side are Grapevine, Little Kankakee, Vails, Mill, Hog and Crooked creeks; on the south side, Potato and Pine creeks, Yellow river and Bogus creek. Yellow river is the most im- portant tributary and is scarcely inferior to the Kankakee above the junction of the two.
West of Bogus creek on the south side, and of Crooked creek on the north side, the small streams from the uplands lose themselves in the marshes and have no well defined inlets to the river.
The entire area of country drained by the Kankakee and its tributaries in Indiana is over sixteen hundred square miles, or approx- imately one million of acres.
The country adjacent to the river is a broad plain, varying in width from one to twenty miles. measured by sections north and south, with an average width of about ten miles.
This plain has a declivity westward of a little more than one foot to the mnile.
Along the irregular border of the plain, on both sides, are sand ridges, which give to the region the proper designation of the Kankakee valley.
This valley is for the most part an un- reclaimed marsh; and except along the river banks and on occasional small sand islands. it is destitute of timber.
247
HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.
Coarse prairie grass, wild rice and weeds, grow in the greatest luxuriance in all parts of the marsh, and, in many places, even in the bed of the river itself.
Frequently the highest water of the year is caused by the rank grass growth in the channel of the river during the summer sea- son.
The soil is a rich vegetable loam and sand, varying in depth from five feet to a few inches. Its general richness may be inferred from the rank growth of grasses. even in the lowest portion of the marshes, where the wa- ter remains during the entire year.
In St. Joseph county, and in parts of La- porte, Porter and Lake counties. the adjacent uplands have a plentiful admixture of elay, and the drainage from these uplands for ages has been adding fertility to the marshes, so that, not without reason, it is believed that these lands, when reclaimed, will be of the best quality.
In Starke, Jasper and Newton counties, the uplands are more sandy, and consequently the marshes adjacent have less depth of soil : but there is no part of the valley which is not worth far more than will be the cost of reelamation.
From its source to the month of Mill creek, the river runs through the open marsh, but below this point the banks on one or both sides are covered with quite large trees.
In many places the channel is greatly ob- structed by fallen timber, which must be re- moved when the improvement of the river is attempted.
The timber belt rarely exceeds a mile in width, but the area vet unent is very valuable.
THE SURVEY.
The line surveyed begins in St. Joseph county, Indiana, at station A, near the S. W. corner of N. E. 14 of Sec. 16. T. 37 N .. R. 2 E., where the small branch which is the source of the Kankakee crosses the Grand Trunk and Chicago rail- way; thence S. 561° W., 12.85 miles, along the general line of the river, to station B. near the middle of the north line of S. W. 1 See. 23, T. 36 N., R. 1 W., a point on the bank of the river: thence S. 343º W., 3.80 miles through the west part of Mud lake to station C. near the west line of S. W. 1 Sec. 4. T. 35 N., R. 1 W., a point at the middle of the bridge over the Kankakee, on the line of the Indianapolis, Peru and Chicago di- vision of the Wabash. St. Louis and Pacific
railway; thence S. 593º W., 3.45 miles, to station D, near the N. W. corner of S. W. 1 Sec. 13, T. 35 N., R. 2 W., a point at the middle of the bridge over the Kankakee on the line of the Baltimore and Ohio railway ; thence S. 31° W., 3.35 miles, to station E, near the N. E. corner of the S. W. } Sec. 34, T. 35 N., R. 2 W., a point on the bank of the river; thence S. 533° W., 7.42 miles, to station F, near the S. E. corner of S. W. 1 Sec. 22, T. 34 N., R. 3 W., a point in the open marsh on the north side of the river at the head of a gap through "Pup Grove"; thence S. 452° W., 1.20 miles, to station G, in N. W. corner of S. E. { Sec. 28, T. 34 N., R. 3 W., a point on the line of the New York, Chicago and St. Louis railway; thenee S. 514° W., 6.43 miles, to station HI, on the south line, near S. W. corner of S. E. } Sec. 15, T. 33 N., R. 4 W., a point on bridge num- ber -. on the line of the Pittsburg, Cincinnati and St. Louis railway; thence S. 63º W., 4.66 miles, to station I, on the middle line of N. 3 Sec. 36. T. 33 N., R. 5 W., a point near the head of "Sand Channel"; thenee S. 89º W., 6.9 miles, to station K. east of the middle line of See. 35, T. 33 N., R. 6 W .. a point in the open marsh on bridge over slough on road leading to Baum's bridge; thence S. 501° W., 2.05 miles, to station L, near the middle of the east line of S. E. } Sec. 4, T. 32 N., R. 6 W., a point in deep slough in gap through "Long Ridge"; thence S. 663º W .. 0.9 miles, to station M. near the center of N. W. 1 See. 9, T. 32 N., R. 6 W., a point in the open marsh: thence S. 79º W .. 5.32 miles, to station N, near the S. E. corner of N. E. Į Sec. 16, T. 32 N., R. 7 W., a point in the open marsh; thence S. 60° W., 3.9 miles, to station O. near the center of Sec. 25, T. 32 N., R. 8 W., a point on the grade of the Indiana, Illinois and Iowa railway ; thence by the survey and grade of the In- diana, Illinois and Iowa railway 12.83 miles to the state line; and thenee, by the same railway survey, 6.8 miles to Momence, Illinois.
From station N, near the S. E. corner N. E. { See. 16, T. 32 N., R. 7 W., the line for the improvement of the river will run S. 661º W., 5.45 miles, to station P, near the middle of the east line of S. E, } Sec. 27. T. 32 N .. R. 8 W., a point in the Kankakee river: thence S. 533° W., 1.25 miles, in the general channel of the river to station Q, near the middle of the line which separates sections 33 and 34, T. 32 N., R. 8 W., a
248
IIISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.
point in the river east of the bridge over the Kankakee, on the Chicago and Indianapolis division of the Louisville, New Albany and Chicago railway: thence S. 80° W .. 2.75 miles, to station R, near the middle of the north line of N. W. 1 Sec. 6, T. 31 N., R. 8 W., a point in the river; thenee west 2.15 miles. by a new channel, to station S, near the N. E. corner of Sec. 3, T. 31 N., R. 9 W. ; thence S. 85° W., 5.20 miles, to station T, on the west line of Sec. 1, T. 31 N., R. 10 W .. a point in the river on the state line between Indiana and Illinois.
The Illinois section begins at station T, on the state line: thence N. 82° W., 2.00 miles, by a new channel, to eut off a great bend, to station U, a point in the river; thence S. 70° W., 3.40 miles, in the general channel of the river, to station V; thence N. 60° W., 1.75 miles in the general channel of the river to station W. a point in the river below the mouth of Bull creek : thence S. 741º W., 1.50 miles, in the channel, to a point in the river below the dam at Momence.
The total distance, as shown by the survey, from the starting
point at station A, near South Bend. to the state line, is .... 75.06 miles.
From the state line to Momence,
is 6.80 miles.
Total. 81.86 miles.
The distance on the proposed line for the improvement will be measured from the mouth of Grapevine creek, nine miles from South Bend, and will not differ from the line of the survey, until the line comes to station O, in the river, Sec. 26, T. 32 N., R. 8 W. From this station, the proposed line for the improvement will be in the general direction of the river itself, and it will be considerably longer than the straight lines measured in the survey.
THE LEVELS.
The line of levels was run as near as pos- sible with the line of the survey, and care was taken always to seleet firm ground for the instruments. The levels were earefully tested by repetition and are believed to be aceurate.
The following tables give the levels which show the general slope of the Kankakee river and marsh :
Ocean level 0.0
Lake Michigan 585.
Starting point, Grand Trunk R. R., Sec. 16, T. 37 N., R. 2 E. 721.6 Crum's Point Bridge, surface of water. 709.1 Free Bridge, surface of water. 691.9
I., P. & C. R. R. Bridge (Mud Lake), surface of water 689.8
B. & O. R. R. Bridge, surface of water 687.5 Barnes Bridge, surface of water .. 685.4
P., Ft. W. & Chicago R. R. Bridge, surface of water 682.1
Austen's Bridge, surface of water. 676.3
P., C. & St. L. R. R. Bridge (English Lake), surface of water. 667.1
L., N. A. & C. R. R. Bridge, surface of water 666.1 Dunn's Bridge, surface of water. 663.7
Grand Junction, surface of water 660.5 Baum's Bridge, surface of water. 659.4
L., N. A. & C. R. R. Bridge (Chicago Divi- sion), surface of water. 635.7
Blue Grass Bridge, surface of water 632.2
State line 624.3
Mouth of Bull creek, surface of water 619.1
Below dam at Momence, surface of water .. 613.5
The following additional levels are in the marsh along the line of the proposed new channel :
Point where line crosses N. Y., C. & St. L. R. R. 681.1
Point where line crosses P., C. & St. L. R. R. 672.4
Point where line crosses L., N. A. & C. R. R. 669.8
Point where line crosses C. & A. R. R .. 668.5 Point station I, Sec. 36, T. 33 N., R. 5 W. 668.3
Point Grand Junction 660.5
Point Shaffner's marsh (Sec. 12, T. 32 N., R. 7 W.) . 649.6
Point station, Newton county line. 642.
The following cross sections furnished me by the chief engineers of the several railways named, show the general outline of the valley and its adjacent ridges :
Baltimore & Ohio Railway:
Walkerton (East) 718.
Kankakee river 687.5
Union Mills (West) 758.
Pittsburg, Ft. Wayne d. Chicago Railway:
Hamlet ( East) 699.
Kankakee river 682.1
Hanna (West) 709.
New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railway :
Kankakee river 676.3
Chicago & W. Michigan R. R. (West) 686.
Pittsburg, Cincinnati d. St. Louis Railway :
North Judson ( East) 708.
Kankakee river (English Lake) 667.1
La Crosse (West) 680.
Chicago d. Atlantic Railway:
North Judson ( East) 708.
Kankakee river 666.3
Kouts
684.
.
249
IIISTORY OF ST. JOSEPHI COUNTY.
Louisville, New Albany & Chicago Railway:
San Pierre (South) 705.
Kankakee river 666.1
La Crosse (North) 680.
Wanatah (North) 732.
Hebron, on P. C. & St. L. R. R. 676.
Shaffner's marsh 649.6
I., I. & I. R. R. (due south) . 677.
Louisville, New Albany & Chicago R. R., Chi- cago Division:
Rose Lawn (South) 675.
Kankakee river 635.7
Lowell
665. ¢
The total difference of level from station A, the small rivulet in Sec. 16, T. 37 N., R. 2 E., near South Bend, which is the source of the Kankakee, to the surface of the water below the dam at Momence, is one hundred and eight and one-tenth (108.1) feet. The total distance, as shown by the survey, is eighty-one and eighty-six hundredths (81.86) miles.
The average slope of the marsh is approxi- mately one and three-tenths (1.3) feet to the mile.
There is no part of the line where a slope of one foot to the mile can not be obtained, without any serious variation from an uniform depth for the new channel.
I have made the estimates of capacity for the new channel on this lowest basis of one foot fall to the mile, although in nearly every part the fall will be considerably more.
The mean level of the Kankakee valley is 674.5 feet above the ocean, from which it is important to notiee that, notwithstanding its general marshy character, it is a broad valley which has a mean elevation of ninety (90) feet above Lake Michigan, and of one hun- dred and sixty (160) feet above the water in the Wabash river at Lafayette.
THE SOIL AND UNDERLYING STRATA.
In accordance with your special instruc- tions, careful examinations were made of the soil and vegetable growth along the marsh, and frequent borings were made for the pur- pose of determining the underlying strata. These borings were made with a two and one- half inch iron tube, sunk to the depth of from eight to twelve feet, and the strata were examined by using the sand pump.
Reliable sections were obtained near South Bend at Crum's Point bridge, Free bridge, Lemon's bridge, Baltimore & Ohio railway crossing. Barnes' bridge, Austen's bridge, Huncheon's farm. Stowell's farm, Baum's
bridge, Shaffner's marsh, Thayer's station, and the state line.
From these borings the character of the entire valley is properly determined.
Within the depth which will be required in the improvement of the Kankakee, no stone obstruction will be found from its source at South Bend to the limestone ledge near Mo- mence, Illinois. Throughout the state of In- diana the underlying strata are fine sand, in- creasing downward to coarse sand and gravel. Occasional thin layers of blue clay are found, but the excavations can be made generally in loose sandy soil and fine gravel.
The soil proper consists of a dark sandy loam, varying in thickness, and sometimes found even to the depth of five or six feet.
Profitable crops of wild hay are annually harvested from a large part of the marsh, and the partially recovered portions are found to be especially adapted to the culture of timothy, clover and blue grass. For stock farms this region will be surpassed by no section of the state.
The cranberry plant is native to the coun- try, and the experiments already made for its culture are most encouraging.
Mr. Lamb has a farm in Starke county. near English Lake station, on the P., C. & St. L. railway, on which he has a field of cranberry plants, twenty acres in extent, un- der the most successful cultivation. The yield is enormous, and in 1882 the crop harvested was seventeen hundred bushels. The receipts for this crop this year will be not less than four thousand dollars.
The Beaver Lake region, in Newton county, is a good sample of the reelaimed marsh land along the Kankakee, and the results in this section are so satisfactory that the most ear- nest efforts should be made to recover all the overflowed lands.
MARSH AREA.
The number of acres in the marshes along the Kankakee and its principal tributaries . which may be recovered by judicious drain- age, is not less than four hundred thousand.
The acres included in the assessments made by the Kankakee Draining Company were : 39,633 St. Joseph county
Laporte county 124,253
Porter county
75,543
Starke county
153,625
Jasper county
90,459
Newton county 79,854
Lake county
61,438
Total
624,805
250
HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.
These assessments included lands adjacent to the marshes which would be commercially benefited by the improvement of the river, and therefore give an aggregate considerably in excess of the overflowed lands. @wing to the favorable location of the Kankakee region with reference to the great commercial metropolis of the northwest, and the facilities furnished by the numerous railways which pass through it. there will be a rapid increase in the value of the lands as soon as the drain- age is effected.
Estimating this increase at twenty dollars per acre, the aggregate addition to the wealth of the state will be eight million dollars ($8.000,000) on the estimated four hundred thousand acres reclaimed.
Or. estimating the general increase in value for the entire section drained by the Kanka- kee at ten dollars per acre. the added wealth to the state will be ten million dollars ($10,- 000.000).
Certainly this is a problem worthy of the best efforts of the state.
THE IMPROVEMENT.
The drainage and recovery of the Kanka- kee marshes will include: First, the construc- tion of a better main channel than now exists, for the flow of the river; second. the straight- ening and deepening of the beds of the streams which empty into the main stream : and third, the digging of a large number of lateral ditches through the swamps to the im- proved channels.
The portion of the work which seems prop- erly to belong to state and national super- vision, is the improvement of the main chan- nel of the river. The other parts of the work may be left to the owners of the land, to be executed under our general drainage laws.
Two streams, the Kankakee and Grapevine creek, unite near the northwest corner of Sec. 4, T. 36 N., R. 1 E., nine miles from South Bend and form the Kankakee river.
This junction seems to be the proper place for the beginning of the improvement under state supervision.
The approximate length of the river in the state from this initial point is two hundred miles, as measured along the crooked channel, and the average fall per mile is less than four inches.
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