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in our disclaimer.
This is an Indiana Earthcache that had to be. Marshes are one of the most diverse ecosystems in North America. From birds, mammals, fish, amphibians and insects; to the mico-biotic creatures in both the water and soil. The Grand Marsh was larger than the everglades, and was habitat to as diverse ecosystem.
To Qualify for this cache I would like for you to post a picture of you and or your GPS near GZ (DO NOT INCLUDE SIGN) THIS IS OPTIONAL.
Then email me the answers to these questions:
1. What caused the marsh to be formed?
2. How long was the Kankakee River in Indiana prior to dredging?
3. How long is it now?
4. What is on the sign at GZ?
Located along 10 Mile Road in the Kankakee Fish and Wildlife Area. The entire area is situated in what was the Kankakee Grand Marsh, which once covered hundreds of thousands of acres. Most of the Marsh was drained in the late 1800s for agricultural use.
The Grand Kankakee Marsh is the result of the last glacial age. The Wisconsin Glacial Age began 70,000 years ago and removed all traces of the previous glacial topography. It wasn't until the last 3,000 years that the glaciers left the topography we know today. Beginning around 15,000 years ago, The Michigan lobe to the north and the Huron-Saginaw lobe to the east retreated back, leaving the area that was to become the Kankakee's valley clear of ice. Beginning 14,000 years ago, the head of the glacier stood along a line across the middle of Lake, Porter, and LaPorte Counties. Melting ceased to outpace the arrival of new ice from the north. Over thousands of years, the glacier moved ground rock and soil southward, only to release along this edge of ice, building up a ridge that matched the front of the glacier. This formed the Valparaiso Moraine.
Additionally, as soil built up along this front, the spring and summer melt was also releasing large volumes of water. The water was moving and sorting the soils. South of the glacial front, water accumulated faster than it could drain, forming a glacial lake Kankakee. Today, the bedrock is hidden deep beneath the sediments left by the glaciers, but it still played a role in developing the lay of the land. At Momence, Illinois, a ridge of limestone was exposed at the surface. Here, all the water flowing off the front of the glacier had to pass westward, for south this glacial lake Kankakee, the Iroquois Moraine blocked all drainage. Slight though it might be, it was higher than the limestone ridge. Between the Iroquois Moraine and the Momence Ridge, the waters from the glacier collected.
Lacustrine deposits are those deposited in lake water and only when the lake drains or the land rises, does it become dry land. Most of the soils throughout the counties surrounding the Kankakee are loamy (up to a quarter clay, quarter to half silt with less than half being sand.) The outwash plain is underlain by sand with gravel inter-bedded throughout. The prevailing westerly winds began to treat the ‘Lake Kankakee’ like the shores of Lake Michigan. Dunes began to form along the south and eastern shoreline. Where ice blocks had been left behind, sand filled the depressions. Runoff from the Valparaiso Moraine built outwash ridges of sand leading into the lake. On the south, the winds built dunes.
As the volume of water decreased from the glacier melting northward, the lake slowly drained and filled. Not being able to cut a channel through the limestone ridge in Momence, the Kankakee Lake became 500,000 acres (202,346 ha) of marshland.
Wetlands and prairie habitats were intertwined with the Kankakee River as it meandered its way from South Bend to the Illinois state line, taking a 240-mile course to cover the 75-mile distance. The meager fall of only five inches per mile combined with the numerous bends created a giant wet prairie environment. Wildlife and plant life thrived, as did the activities that these resources supported.
The Grand Kankakee Marsh that bordered the Kankakee River once consisted of between 500,000 and 600,000 acres of marsh land in Indiana
It was from two to fifteen miles wide for the length of the river in Indiana and was the largest contiguous marsh in Indiana and one of the largest on the continent.
The Potawatomi Indians were early settlers of the Kankakee River basin and used the marsh areas as a refuge against the ferocious Iroquois of the east. French explorers, such as Charlevoix, La Salle, Tonti and Father Hennepin, were among the first to chart the area. Soon the white fur traders moved into the Kankakee marshland to take their claim of the abundant numbers of fur-bearing animals. After treaties in 1832 and 1836, the Potawatomi relinquished control of their lands in northwest Indiana, and all but a few moved from the Kankakee River basin. The fur trappers derived most of their wealth from muskrat pelts, although beaver and other fur-bearers were harvested. The muskrat harvest during the 1834-1884 period averaged between 20,000-40,000 pelts per year.
The immigrant farmer became increasingly present after the Potawatomi moved from the valley. Crops of wild rices and sedges from the marshland were harvested for hay and pasturage. Sportsmen's clubs became prevalent as fur trapping, waterfowl hunting and fishing in the "Grand Marsh" became well known. Mallards, pintails, spoonbills, teal, bluebills, wood ducks and the sandhill crane were abundant in the Kankakee marshlands during this period. Trapping trails, roads, railroads, cabins, motels and resorts became numerous in the Kankakee River basin as man began to develop it. As agricultural development became greater, the demand for channelization began. A massive channelization program began in 1911, and by 1917 the main Kankakee channel was straight. The width of the main channel now varies from 75 to 180 feet with an average depth of 4-5 feet. The Kankakee's average fall is approximately 1 foot per river mile and flow is generally at 3-4 miles per hour. Forest land in the Kankakee basin is generally in oak-hickory, or beech-maple-birch succession. Other tree species include ash, sweet gum, white pine, aspen, cypress, black cherry, black walnut, cottonwood and sycamore. Marsh grasses and sedges, wild rice, cattail, spatterdock, smartweed and many other forms of marshland vegetation are still present in the wetlands along the Kankakee.
Wildlife habitat is excellent in the river's natural marsh areas, and the wildlife includes beaver, muskrat, deer and many species of waterfowl. The greater prairie chicken, sandhill crane, osprey and golden and bald eagles are examples of rare species located in this important wetland area. The sloughs and marshy bottomlands along the river provide excellent wildlife habitat and afford river users the opportunity to observe a variety of species. Walleye and northern pike, large and smallmouth bass and various panfish are found in the waters of the Kankakee.
To understand how such a magnificent Marsh could be obliterated, one must consider the prevailing sentiment in the country at the time. The push was one to settle the area and then stake claim to the land further West. Settlement, at the time, meant agriculture.
Portions of the Kankakee Marsh soil were a black, sandy loam, three to six feet deep. This was potential prime farm land, all that needed to be done was to remove the water. Once the actual draining process began and well connected land speculators became involved, the drainage project became unstoppable. The voices of those who objected to the project could not be heard over the din of the activities of the steam shovels.
In 1927, the state purchased 2,312 acres of the remaining marsh for a Civilian Conservation Corp. camp, housing as many as 400 men. The area later became established as a game preserve, and during the 50s, waterfowl management was undertaken by the state. In 1982 another 1,016 acres were added and in 1992 an additional 767 acres.
Most revenues used in land acquisition, development, operation and maintenance of Kankakee Fish and Wildlife Area are derived from the sale of hunting, fishing and trapping licenses. Funds are also received from the federal Pittman-Robertson and Dingell-Johnson programs to aid fish and wildlife restoration. These funds are derived from taxes levied on sport hunting and fishing equipment. Indiana hunters and fishermen are proud to provide this property for the enjoyment of all people.
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