Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 40, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 December 1907 — Reclamation of Kankakee Lands. [ARTICLE]

Reclamation of Kankakee Lands.

In his annual report, Secretary of Agriculutre Wilson deals in an interesting manner with the’proposed reclamation of an enormous tract of Indiana marsh land in the Kankakee region—a project which he considers entirely feasible. He announces that during the last year the snrvey ol the Kankakee valley project in Indiana was completed and a report embodying the result of three years’ investigation was prepared and transmitted to the local authorites. “Nearly half a million acres in this valley was once a marshy plain,” he continues. (< Dnring the last twenty years numerous small projects for the improvement of the drainage of separate portions of the upper end of the valley and acres along its outer margins, by means of straightening, cleaning and deepening parts of ihe channel of the river and its tributaries have been rendered available for profitable agriculture. “At the time this office took np the work local jealonsies and differences of opinion had reached such a state that it seemed impossible for the vaiious interests to reach an agreement which would lead to the relief and improvement of the large and important acresenbraoed in the main lower part of the valley. “As the result of the caxeful surveys and studies by the engineers of this office a comprehensive plan was prepared in this office for increasing the carrying capacity of the lQwer portion of the river channel by shortening * its, length from seventy-two to forty-two miles. This is accomplished by cnttiDg off eighty-fonr bends of the present stream by cuts carrying from 150 to 5,500 feet in length. . “The excavation of the channel will require the removel of nearly 10,000,000 cubic yards of earth and will eostapproximately $10,000,000. This improvement 'involves six counties in Indiana and one in Illinois. Probably 500,000 acres of land will-be directly benefited. The value of these improvements can scarely be estimated, although similar land in Indiana has risen in value from $5 to SIOO per acre after drainage.