Misplaced Pages

#697302

67-843: The Kankakee River is a tributary of the Illinois River , approximately 133 miles (214 km) long, in the Central Corn Belt Plains of northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois in the United States. At one time, the river drained one of the largest wetlands in North America and furnished a significant portage between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River . Significantly altered from its original channel, it flows through

134-753: A drainage basin of 28,756.6 square miles (74,479 km ). The Illinois River begins with the confluence of the Des Plaines and Kankakee rivers in the Chicago metropolitan area , and it generally flows to the southwest across Illinois, until it empties into the Mississippi near Grafton, Illinois . Its drainage basin extends into southeastern Wisconsin , northwestern Indiana , and a very small area of southwestern Michigan in addition to central Illinois. Along its shores are several river ports, including Peoria, Illinois . Historic and recreation areas on

201-601: 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 of Kankakee County . The river enters Will County, Illinois , through the City of Wilmington before joining

268-510: A diffuse to a channelized distributary system where it has the most observed sediment deposit has a significant impact on the development of the fluvial succession in the proximal zone. However, in order to have sustained active accretion across the entire sandur there needs to be a diffuse, multipoint distribution system. The system of accumulation on Skeiðarársandur , which is a product of glacier retreat, can be seen as multiple regions of differing channel patterns that distribute sediment across

335-561: A highly meandering course through a vast complex of wetlands surrounding the river, that was known as the Grand Kankakee Marsh . Encompassing 5,300 square miles (14,000 km), 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

402-569: A primarily rural farming region of reclaimed cropland, south of Lake Michigan . The Kankakee rises in northwestern Indiana, approximately five miles (8.0 km) southwest of South Bend, Indiana . It flows in a straight channelized course, generally southwestward through rural northwestern Indiana, collecting the Yellow River from the south in Starke County , and passing the communities of South Center and English Lake . It forms

469-449: A small mussel harvest to provide shells to seed pearl oysters overseas. It is commercially fished downstream of the Rt. 89 bridge at Spring Valley . However, an infestation of invasive Asian Carp has crowded out many game fish in the river. The Illinois River is still an important sports fishing waterway with a good sauger fishery. The Illinois forms part of a modern waterway that connects

536-675: Is formed by the confluence of the Kankakee River and the Des Plaines River in eastern Grundy County , approximately 10 miles (16 km) southwest of Joliet . Its other major tributaries include the Fox, Vermilion, Macoupin, Mackinaw, Spoon, Sangamon, and La Moine. This river flows west across northern Illinois, passing Morris and Ottawa , where it is joined by the Mazon River and Fox River respectively. At LaSalle ,

603-562: Is located in Indiana. The headwaters of the Kankakee River is southwest of downtown South 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

670-398: Is not apparent why the towns are so far from the river. Kankakee River (main stem) Yellow River Branch Iroquois River Branch Illinois River The Illinois River ( Miami-Illinois : Inoka Siipiiwi ) is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River at approximately 273 miles (439 km) in length. Located in the U.S. state of Illinois , the river has

737-582: Is south of Peoria and Pekin and northwest of Lincoln and Springfield. Near the confluence of the Illinois with the La Moine River , it turns south, flowing roughly parallel to the Mississippi across western Illinois. Macoupin Creek joins the Illinois on the border between Greene and Jersey counties, approximately 15 miles (24 km) upstream from the confluence with the Mississippi River . For

SECTION 10

#1732765681698

804-713: Is then joined by the Mackinaw River , and then passes through the Chautauqua National Wildlife Refuge . Across from Havana , the Illinois is joined by the Spoon River coming from Fulton County , and across from Browning , it is joined by the Sangamon River , which passes through the state capital, Springfield, Illinois . The La Moine River flows into it approximately five miles (8 km) southwest of Beardstown , which

871-527: 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. Up through the early 19th century, the river furnished an important water transportation route through the Illinois Country for both Native Americans and early European settlers, notably the French fur trappers . The headwaters of

938-757: Is used in the summer and early fall by tourists in pleasure boats cruising the Great Loop . The Illinois River is an important part of the Great Loop, the circumnavigation of Eastern North America by water. The City of Peoria is developing a long-term plan to reduce combined sewer overflows to the Illinois River, as required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency . During dry weather, sewage flows safely through

1005-564: The American 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 Governor Claude Matthews and

1072-695: The Des Plaines and Chicago Rivers and the Kankakee and St. Joseph rivers allowed Native Americans, Europeans, and later Americans access between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi basin . The first European presence in the area was the Jesuit mission founded in 1675 by Father Jacques Marquette on the banks of the Illinois across from Starved Rock at the Grand Village of the Illinois , near present-day Utica. The Illinois Confederation were

1139-449: The Des Plaines River from the south to form the Illinois River , approximately 50 miles (80 km) southwest of Chicago . The Kankakee River Basin drains 2,989 square miles (7,740 km) in northwest Indiana , 2,169 square miles (5,620 km) in northeast Illinois, and about seven square miles (18 km) in southwest Lower Michigan . The Kankakee River heads near South Bend, then flows westward into Illinois, where it joins with

1206-495: The Des Plaines River . Here, in the Des Plaines Fish and Wildlife Area , the two rivers form the Illinois River for the journey to the Mississippi 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

1273-757: The Great Lakes at Chicago to the Mississippi River. The waterway was originally established by the building of the Illinois and Michigan Canal that connected the Illinois River to the Chicago River . When the Sanitary District of Chicago later reversed the flow of the Chicago River, the pollution and sewage of the city of Chicago flowed down into the Illinois River. The Illinois and Michigan Canal has since been replaced by

1340-625: The Gígjukvísl and Skeiðará rivers, which incurred net gains of 29 and 24 cm (11.4 and 9.4 in) respectively during the 1996 jökulhlaup. In the Gígjukvísl there was massive sediment deposition of up to 12 m (39 ft), which occurred closest to the terminus of the glacier. The erosional patterns of Skeiðarársandur can be seen by looking at the centimetre-scale elevation differences measured with repeat-pass laser altimetry ( LIDAR ) flown in 1996 (pre-flood), 1997, and 2001. Of

1407-688: The Illinois Waterway , including the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal . River traffic and flood control is managed by eight locks and dams operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers . As of 2011, all locks and dams on this waterway are closed to visitors for security reasons, except the Starved Rock Visitor Center, which offers an excellent interpretation of the entire system. The waterway is heavily used by barges transporting bulk goods such as grain and oil. It

SECTION 20

#1732765681698

1474-630: The Michigan Basin . To the south, the strata dips southwest toward the Illinois Basin . Within the Kankakee Basin (Lake, Jasper , and Pulaski counties), the rock strata are nearly flat, being at the top of the arch. The Advanced Hydrological Prediction Service 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

1541-714: The Pleistocene ice melt. One of the sandurs from which the general name is derived is Skeiðarársandur , a broad sandy wasteland along Iceland's south-eastern coast, between the Vatnajökull icecap and the sea. Volcanic eruptions under the icecap have given rise to many large glacial bursts ( jökulhlaups in Icelandic ), most recently in 1996, when the Ring Road was washed away (minor floods have also occurred since then). This road, which encircles Iceland and

1608-487: The 17th and 18th centuries. After the construction of the Illinois and Michigan Canal and the Hennepin Canal in the 19th century, the role of the river as link between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi was extended into the era of modern industrial shipping. The Illinois now forms the basis for the Illinois Waterway , extending the river's capabilities for navigation and commercial shipping. The Illinois River

1675-546: 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

1742-560: The Illinois River is joined by the Vermilion River , and then it flows west past Peru and Spring Valley . In southeastern Bureau County it turns south at an area known as the "Great Bend", flowing southwest across western Illinois, past Lacon , Henry and downtown Peoria , the chief city on the river. South of Peoria, the Illinois River goes by East Peoria and Creve Coeur and then Pekin in Tazewell County . It

1809-561: The Illinois River was shaped in a matter of days by the Kankakee Torrent . During the melting of the Wisconsin Glacier about 10,000 years ago, a lake formed in present-day Indiana, comparable to one of the modern Great Lakes . The lake formed behind the terminal moraine of a substage of that glacier. Melting ice to the north eventually raised the level of the lake so that it overflowed the moraine. The dam burst , and

1876-532: The Illinois River with a viewing area of the working lock in a site frequented by bald eagles. From 1905 to 1915, more freshwater fish were harvested from the Illinois River than from any other river in the United States except for the Columbia River . The Illinois River was once a major source of mussels for the shell button industry. Overfishing , habitat loss from heavy siltation , and water pollution have eliminated most commercial fishing except for

1943-469: 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 is Dunn's Bridge , further east; CR 500 E (Porter County) to CR 400 E (Jasper County). 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

2010-510: The Mississippi. South of Hennepin , the Illinois River follows the ancient channel of the Mississippi River. The Illinoian Stage , about 300,000 to 132,000 years ago, blocked the Mississippi near Rock Island , diverting it into its present channel. After the glacier melted, the Illinois River flowed into the ancient channel. The Hennepin Canal roughly follows the ancient channel of the Mississippi upstream of Rock Island. The modern channel of

2077-646: The River. The river's trade flowed downstream to be dominated by St. Louis . After the I&;M Canal was built, a string of cities, such as LaSalle, Peru, and Ottawa grew along the river, extending Chicago 's influence into the Mississippi Valley. During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the residents of the river towns were deeply involved in harvesting the river's fish, waterfowl, mussels , and ice . They were economically and culturally dependent on

Kankakee River - Misplaced Pages Continue

2144-490: The Valparaiso Moraine, deposits can reach 350 feet (110 m) thick. 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

2211-540: The area has been progressively drained by ditches constructed during the past 60 years. The Kankakee River Basin is a product of the Wisconsin 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)

2278-596: The banks of the St. 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. The river has been "ditched" and is called Dixon West Place Ditch. Below Crumstown , Geyer Ditch joins it from the north, flowing out of Berrien County in southern Michigan . The Kankakee River passes through

2345-399: The basin. 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

2412-511: The border between LaPorte , Porter , and Lake counties on the north and Starke, Jasper , and Newton counties on the south. The river curves westward and ceases to be channelized as it enters Kankakee County in northeastern Illinois. Approximately three miles (4.8 km) southeast of the city of Kankakee , it receives the Iroquois River from the south and turns sharply to the northwest for its lower 35 miles (56 km). It joins

2479-443: The canal declined by the early 1900s, it was eventually replaced by the Illinois Waterway in 1933, which is still in use today. The Peoria Riverfront Museum contains a gallery, "Illinois River Encounter," that offers an interpretation of the river through an aquarium tank, and displays of the river's geology, ecology, social history, engineering, and commercial use. The Starved Rock Lock and Dam Visitor Center features exhibits on

2546-538: 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 the Valparaiso 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

2613-575: The city's sewers to the Greater Peoria Sanitation District wastewater treatment plant . However, about 28 times a year, melting snow or rainwater can overwhelm the sewers, causing untreated sewage to overflow into the Illinois River. Peoria was required to examine the sewer overflows and prepare a long-term control plan to meet Clean Water Act requirements and protect the Illinois River. The city had to submit its plan by December 2008 to U.S. EPA and Illinois EPA. The issue

2680-439: The entire volume of the lake was released in a very short time, perhaps a few days. Because of the manner of its formation, the Illinois River runs through a deep canyon with many rock formations. It has an "underutilized channel", one far larger than would be needed to contain any conceivable flow of the modern river. The Illinois River valley has long been an important transportation route for civilizations. The portages between

2747-472: The first fort in Illinois, Ft. St. Louis, at Starved Rock to facilitate the fur trade and defend the Illinois against the Iroquois . Later the fort was relocated to the present site of Creve Coeur , near Peoria. The French retained a presence in the area, with small trading posts. Prior to the construction of the Illinois & Michigan Canal , completed in 1845, Peoria was the only large settlement on

Kankakee River - Misplaced Pages Continue

2814-559: The flow is more channelized. Sandurs are most common in Iceland, where geothermal activity beneath ice caps speeds up the deposition of sediment by meltwater. As well as regular geothermal activity, volcanic activity gives rise to large glacial bursts several times a century, which carry down large volumes of sediment. The Gaspé Peninsula that makes up the essential part of southern Quebec (Lower St-Lawrence and Gaspé areas) also contains several examples of paleo-sandar, dating from

2881-417: The glacier. An outwash plain might contain surficial braided stream complexes that rework the original deposits. They may also contain kettle lakes , locations where blocks of ice have melted, leaving a depression that fills with water. The flow pattern of glacial rivers across sandar is typically diffuse and unchannelized, but in situations where the glacial snout has retreated from the terminal moraine ,

2948-464: The last 20 miles (32 km) of its course, the Illinois is separated from the Mississippi River by only about five miles (8 km), by a peninsula of land that makes up Calhoun County . The Illinois joins the Mississippi near Grafton , approximately 25 miles (40 km) northwest of downtown St. Louis and about 20 miles (32 km) upstream from the confluence of the Missouri River and

3015-531: 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. The Kankakee River was originally formed around 16,000 years ago by an event known as the Kankakee Torrent . A glacial lake resulting from meltwater from the Wisconsin glaciation breached the moraines (located in what

3082-410: The outwash plain. The Gígjukvísl river is where some of the highest level of sediment deposit occurred and also where the largest erosion happened afterward. This indicates that these massive jökulhlaup deposits may have a large geomorphic impact in the short term, but the net change on the surface relief could be minimal after a couple of years to a decade. The observed change of Skeiðarársandur from

3149-468: The overall deposition during the 1996 jökulhlaup, nearly half of the net gain had been eroded 4 years after the flood. These two rivers on the sandur display drastically different erosional patterns. The difference in sediment erosion can be attributed to the 2 km (1.2 mi) wide trench near the terminus where the Gígjukvísl flows, in contrast with the Skeiðará , which has braided flows directly onto

3216-533: The plain in dynamic configurations. Fossil sandar (i.e. no longer active) are found in areas which were formerly glaciated. An example would be the Usk Valley of South Wales where, towards the end of the last ice age , the receding Usk valley glacier left behind a series of recessional moraines and sandar deposits down-valley of them. Many of the sandar surfaces are still visible, albeit degraded over succeeding millennia. Extensive sandar are also recorded in

3283-431: The primary inhabitants of the valley. Marquette wrote of the river, "We have seen nothing like this river that we enter, as regards its fertility of soil, its prairies and woods; its cattle, elk, deer, wildcats, bustards, swans, ducks, parroquets, and even beaver. There are many small lakes and rivers. That on which we sailed is wide, deep, and still, for 65 leagues." In 1680, René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle built

3350-532: 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 the Great 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. The upper river

3417-428: 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, from Illinois Route 114 / Indiana State Road 10 . As of September 7, 2008,

SECTION 50

#1732765681698

3484-407: 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

3551-480: The river has rendered it especially prone to flooding . Starting in the 1980s, federal and state efforts have attempted to restore part of the original floodplain of the river through strategic widening of the levees. The river remains a popular destination for recreational canoeing and fishing for warm-water species. Kankakee River State Park is located along the river, northwest of Kankakee, Illinois. The 4,095-acre (16.57 km) Kankakee Fish and Wildlife Area

3618-468: The river include Starved Rock , and the internationally important wetlands of the Emiquon Complex and Dixon Waterfowl Refuge . The river was important among Native Americans and early French traders as the principal water route connecting the Great Lakes with the Mississippi. The French colonial settlements along these rivers formed the heart of the area known as the Illinois Country in

3685-553: The river near present-day South Bend allowed a portage to the St. Joseph River , which drains into Lake Michigan , as well as furnishing a subsequent portage to the Lake Erie watershed. The Kankakee, thus, was part of an inland canoe route connecting the Great Lakes to the Illinois River and subsequently to the Mississippi River. Until the end of the 19th century, the river was nearly 240 miles (390 km) long, flowing in

3752-491: The river's borders, such as the Aukiki Wetland Conservation Area and the surrounding NIPSCO Savanna . The Kankakee River forms the border between Lake County to the north and Newton County on the south. Along this section of the river, the channel has been straightened, passing between Shelby on the north and Thayer on the south. The LaSalle Fish and Wildlife Area dominates both sides of

3819-550: The river, as it makes its exit from Indiana and enters Illinois. Entering Illinois, the river returns to its natural channel, winding its way to Momence, 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

3886-406: The river, building up industries such as tourism related to duck hunting and sport fishing, commercial fishing, musseling for the button factories, and ice cutting for early attempts at refrigeration for domestic and commercial use. With the construction of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal in the late 19th century, Chicago's sewage was pushed down the river rather than into Lake Michigan. As

3953-435: The southeast corner of Starke 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 and LaPorte County to its north. These are some of the more extensive wetlands along the upper river. The Kankakee Fish and Wildlife Area is a state managed wildlife area, heavily managed to control water levels throughout

4020-599: The townships of Cass , Dewey , Hanna , and Prairie in LaPorte County. 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

4087-417: The underlying rocks when they move slowly downhill, and at the snout of the glacier, meltwater can carry this sediment away from the glacier and deposit it on a broad plain. The material in the outwash plain is often size-sorted by the water runoff of the melting glacier with the finest materials, like silt, being the most distantly re-deposited, whereas larger boulders are the closest to the original terminus of

SECTION 60

#1732765681698

4154-616: The various waterborne and wind driven deposits throughout the basin. The bedrock underlying the Kankakee Basin is primarily of Silurian age. There are also strata from the Devonian , and Mississippian periods. The Silurian rocks are primarily dolomite and limestone . A major subterranean feature is the Kankakee Arch; it is an extension of the Cincinnati Arch . North of the arch, the strata dip towards Lake Michigan and

4221-434: 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. 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

4288-428: The year. Here, the Yellow River (the second largest branch of the Kankakee) joins the main river. The Kankakee River also forms the southern boundary of Porter 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

4355-421: Was also highly channelized with levees 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

4422-459: Was completed in 1974, has since been repaired. The 1996 jökulhlaup was caused by the eruption of the Grímsvötn volcano, with peak flow estimated to be 50,000 m /s (1,800,000 cu ft/s) compared to the normal summer peak flow of 200 to 400 m /s (7,100–14,100 cu ft/s). Net deposition of sediment was estimated to be 12,800,000 m (450,000,000 cu ft). The main braided channels of Skeiðarársandur are

4489-445: Was still under discussion as recently as 2016. The John Hartford song "Long Hot Summer Day" is written from the perspective of a barge worker on the Illinois River. It references the Illinois towns of Pekin, Beardstown, and Alton. Outwash Sandurs are found in glaciated areas, such as Svalbard , Kerguelen Islands , and Iceland . Glaciers and icecaps contain large amounts of silt and sediment, picked up as they erode

#697302