Jasper County Democrat, Volume 1, Number 36, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 December 1898 — THE KANKAKEE MARSH. [ARTICLE]

THE KANKAKEE MARSH.

A Kankakee correspondent of the Chicago Times Herald says: The greatest drainage district ever formed in Indiana will reclaim 120,000 acres of Kankakee marsh land. B. J. Gifford, of Kankakee, has charge of the formation of the district, and began preliminary work to-day. Mr. Gifford, together with Nelson Morris, of Chicago; General Shelby, of Kentucky, and the Brown brothers, of Crown Point, Ind., own most of the tract to be reclaimed. In order to secure a proper outlet the Kankakee Rivet will have to be dredged and straightened for a distance of more than 40 miles. The estimated expense of dredging the river exceeds $300,000. The land to be reclaimed lies in Newton, Jasper and Lake Counties, Indiana, and nt least half of it is submerged at present. When reclaimed it will the best beet sugar ground in i <■ country, it is said. The land in prises about one half of th» brated Kankakee marshes »er al large dredges will be con- < ed this winter.