Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 38, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 August 1905 — Kankakee River Declared Navigable. [ARTICLE]

Kankakee River Declared Navigable.

- The very interesting matter of the future of the Kankakee river was before the County Commission- [ ers last Tuesday morning, when the proposition to declare the river * a navigable stream, and henceforth j to be open to the public use, was acted upon. Their commissioner, ' Ralph W. Marshall presented an exhaustive report, showing how greatly the river was already used as a navigable stream; and how easily its navigation could .be improved; and how, if the rights to the river are preserved to the public, the river will soon becomes great summer resort, all along its length. The report strongly recommended that the river he declared navigable; and acting upon this recommendation, the order ; was so made; and the auditor was directed to notify the trustees of Keener, Wheatfield and Kankakee townships of their action. There was no active opposition to the stream being declared navigable, the only move in that direction being a typewritten protest, filed some weeks ago, and signed by some thirty persous. That none of them were very earnest in their opposition seems evident from the fact that no one was present to urge their objections. The report of Special Commissioner Marshall will be given in full in our next issue.