Jasper County Democrat, Volume 17, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 August 1914 — The Drainage of Beaver Lake. [ARTICLE]

The Drainage of Beaver Lake.

The drainage commenced sometime during the Civil War, by cutting a spade ditch through what is known as the dividing ridge two

and a halt' miles south of the now Lake Village, and continued to the Kankakee river, both by spade and scraper, in the year of 186fi. James Halleck erected, a sawmill on his farm one-half mile west of the now Lake Village on this ditch bank and made considerable lumber for the needs of the community at that time and also erected a two-story building on the opposite side of the ditch, which was used for a store below and a hall above. The hall was used by the public for preaching. literary work and dancing. There was also a blacksmith shop there. This drainage work was carried on from time to time from the dividing ridge south and easterly, all up stream, until they had completed both main and. laterals to a point where they would give even fair drainage. The main ditch was completed to a point about the center line of Section 12-30-9 in McClellan township. At this point there was a real lake of water, about onehalf mile wide and about one mile long, extending into Colfax township, where it was necessary to have a dam so as to have a real opening, or, in other words, the tapping of Beaver laike, which took place on August 28, 1874, noon time, my birthday. This is why I remember the date so well. Mr. Milk, with shovel in hand, started the flow of water for the Kankakee river. There was a very large crowd of people there. A few that 1 call to mind, were Mr. Lemuel Milk, rather of Jennie M. Conrad, Ceorge Milk, a nephew of Mr. Milk, Mr. Cooley and son, Charley, then a young boy about 12 years old. 1 remember he wore a smart suit, loose coat, knee pants, salt and pepper dots, a sailor straw hat and had a small shotgun, about number sixteen guage and was shooting at kill-deer. There was also there from the Chicago Union Stock yards, Mr. Allen Gregory, both of the Mr. Congers, Mr. Ada ins and Mr. Bancroft, also several others that I have forgotten the names of, and those of near by home. Some of them still living are Isaac Kight of Fair Oaks, Joseph Kight of Thayer, T. Kight of Roselawn, Samuel Kight of Lake Village, James Tuber of brook, Samuel Itouch of Monience, George Wats of Kankakee, 111., Chris Larson, now of Kersey, Jasper county, I. W. Burton, now living on the banks of the Kankakee, at the place called Blue Grass, a beautiful spot in the northeast corner of Newton county. I think that, the now exJudge Darroch, then a young school teacher, was also there. That is to tiiC best of my memory. There were many people there that are now dead. Mr. Spry, who was Isaac Kight’s father-in-law, Mr. Halleck, the father of Mr. Abraham Halleck. Mr, Mart Burton, who was a father-in-law of Joseph Kight, Mr Stoner of Lake Village, William Burton, father of I. W. and William H. Burton, Jesse Julian, father-iri-law of Samuel Rouch, that is as many as 1 can remember now. There was surely a big crowd there, a real picnic, and the Chicago “big bugs,” as they were then called, brought all kinds of eating that was good and well cooked, different brands of cigars, and not forgetting the different brands of whiskey. After dinner there were short speeches by several, but the first and one that I remember t.h<? most in particular when Mr. Milk was talking about Ihe great enterprise at hand, Mr. Bancroft got up and asked Mr. Milk this question: ' say, Lemuel, what is the use of your going to all this trouble and hard work and expense when some day the man that marries your daughter will spend it and forget your hard work?”

I remember this JuHt as if it was only yesterday, when Mr. Milk turned to Mr. Bancroft and said: "Bancroft, if the man that marries my naughter has as much pleasure in spending [t as [ have in making it, I will be well paid.” •Just think, what a noble thought from a noble man like Mr. Milk. I always admired him after that. After the speechmaking, the good things wet and dry were 'used freely, but no one got “boozy.” | remember also that all those that came from Chicago came via Momence on the Chicago, Danville & Vincennes Railroad, now the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad, and had to be brought from Momence in wagons to Beaver Bake, a distance of about twenty miles, and no stone or gravel roads either. That was surely a wild looking country at that time where the horse theives made their headquarters at Bogus island. How J came to Indiana and why I stayed, leaving Chicago with full intention to go to New York and reenter the United States navy—being recently honorably discharged and wanting to take a vacation before I left for the east, I went to the town of Chebance, 111,, eight miles from Kankakee pity, where an uncle lived on a farm, a few miles from Chebance. I went there to make a visit and to shoot chickens and quail, and while there I had the pleasure of being introduced to a gentleman by the name of Milk, a large land owner, both in Illinois and Indiana, and in conversation with him he became very much interested in ray talk about my travels around the world on board an American man-of-war. He invited n)e to take a trip with him one day to visit some of his farms, which I accepted with

(hanks, as at that lime 1 did consider it. not only a rare privilege, but also an honor to be invited by such a rich gentleman, and I being only a poor boy. I surely appreciated his kindness end (lie pleasure of tlie ride in such a line country as there was over there in Iroquois county. And let me say right here, it was even more appreciated because of the fact that (lie county I was then in was of the same name of the good ship I had sailed in clear around the globe going from New ork out by the way of Good Hope and returning by way of (’ape Horn, the good ship Iroquois, and even this river is also named after tiie most famous of all American Indian tribes the Iroquois. W’hile we were riding and talking, Mr. Milk said; “Well, 1 understand that an apprenticeship i u the United States nrtvy learns a young man to be practicable even in the art of cooking?" My answer was, "Yes, sir."

He said: “Well, young man, how would you like to go out to Indiana and cook for my men out there?” iHe told me all about the vast tiact ot land, known as the Beaver Lake country, that he was trying ,to reclaim, l asked him if it was a real lake with boats on it and fish He told me all about the lake, the fish, the game, all kinds, by the millions, and even the wolves. I want to tejl you, or at least imagine how I felt, it was surely like a. fairy tale; how I could spend two of three months at the most and then go on to New York after having such a fine time and at the same time earn enough money to pay my expenses. We made the bargain, I agreed to go to Beaver Lake for two months,' and after three days longer visiL Mr. Milk sent me down in a buggy Arriving at Beaver Lake just at the time that the great battle of White Oak where the Turkish General W r ardell fell, being killed or

shot to death by the leader of a troop of ./reserves, a man whose “bravery” bent him to the Indiana state prison for two years for killing his fellow man, and all on acfoupt of one keg of beer at a dance. And the funny part of this ‘ragedy was that the keg of beer belonged to the murdered mam He stole his own beer after furnishing it. The bunch was angry, secured shotguns and clubs and pursued the “enemy,” overtaking him by a white oak tree; shot him to death. That is why i call it the battle of White Oak. You can well imagine that I thought I was somewhere other than in tihe United States. But as 1 liked the looks of the fine set of young fellows in the camp, I made up my mind they were safe companions. But oh, the first night in Beaver Hake—a clear sky, stars shining and our camp out in the w r ide, open plain! It looked as if it was on the sea at night, and being

in a strange place and . among strangers, all hands went to bed except the cook. After I got everything ' ready for breakfast—-our usual way of doing business on board a ship to get everything ready as far as possible so as to arrange for an early meal —I prepared everything possible and went to bed. Everything was as still as a cemetery, when all at once, Oh! such a noise, such a yelping! The wolves were just outside the door—and by the way, our kitchen was not at.all small, ihe sky was the roof, the walls were space and the wolves were in our “kitchen.” I jumped out and yelled out in a clear voice, Elear your decks for action,” grabbed my repeater when some of the boys asked me what was the trouble? 1 said, “Heavens, we are surprised and surrounded by 1 do not know what, but I do know they are bent on attack.” One of the men said, “Oh, nothing only wolves.” It amused me to think (how cbol the men took it and never made a move to get up, I said to myself, “Thank God, that is characterisic of the American on land as well as sea,” quiet and fearless at all times. I went outside, repeater in hand, thinking probably that they had or were about to devour what I had prepared for breakfast. 1 put all in the oven and returned to bed, following the example of the rest of my comrades.

I had only sixteen to cook for and 1 spent much time in hunting game. I will not state how plentiful it was, but we had game for dinner, game for supper and game feathers for pillows to sleep on; and also plenty of fine fish. I remember one time I wanted dry wood, and the boys as they called them then, were perfect gentlemen. but this one time a few of the boys were going up to the ridge to get some' dry wood—they always ( hopped the wood as 1 did not know how so this time 1 said to the boys l would like to. go along, and one of them said, "Yes, sure.” Then I was sure in for it, for they worked the degree work on me telling me to cut down a nice little tree, called “Gum. I chopped and chopped, sweated and re-sweated, finally one of the boys helped me to drop ii to the ground. Then came the second degree work, to cut it in two. I went at it again with all vigor and a dull axe, and when this was accomplished they commenced the third degree. They told tne to now split it so that it would lay in the wagon Lo\ good. 1 started to work, being ashamed to quit, until one of the boys came up and said, “Oh, let i hat rotten thing alone,” and all hands commenced to laugh, and then it just began to dawn on me that I was really working in a hazing crowd, that I was a victim of a joke, and then 1 joined in with them lor a good laugh. My next experience was to harness a team and get the harness on wrong. I tried to grease a wagon and got along nicely on one side, hut the other side, the burrs w,ould not come off, so I tised a cold-chisel and of course spoiled the burrs, thinking, that ihere wasn’t such a thing as a right-hand and a lefthand way.

My next experience was when I changed with a young man, I learned him to cook and helped him and was to work his team scraping. Instead of hollowing (lee” and “Haw,” I would hollow “Starbord” and “Larbord, and hung to the handles like a pup to a root, when strking a grub, a clevis broke. And not being a land lubber, properly speaking, I did not know how to repair the cleyis, so I went and told the foreman, Mr. Edward Parsons, using the nautical phrase, that I had carried away a shackle. He said, "What do you mean?” 1 said. “Simply, 1 have carried away a shackle.”

He paid, “I can't understand you.” So he went with me to where the wreck was and found it was only a broken clevis. Then, again, there was a lot of laughing by the boys and the only consolation I could have was to tell them that I wished I had them either on a ship or in a large city, l wpuld nave them shaking hands with or hugging an Indian cigar sign.

Two or three times I got ready to leave but each time the boys and foreman talked me out of it, and finally, after two years most pleasantly spent, I met with a foolish girl and I am still in Indiana, and I now thank my God for it, and will close, not wishing to impose too much on the Editor's good nature, as there were several other interesting happenings, which space will not permit. JOHN O’CONNOR.

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