Greetings!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday Season. 2002 was a great year for KVHS and I’m amazed at of all that we have accomplished! I’m a fairly optimistic person, but we accomplished more than even I thought we’d be able to do. Just a brief summary of last years successes: completed the requirements for the $20,000 loan from Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana for the stabilization of the Collier Lodge and the subsequent completion of the work by Precision Builders; demolish and removal of the garage that was attached to the lodge; sent in our National Register Application for the Collier Lodge and passed the preliminary reviews; awarded 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit status by the IRS; received our tax exempt status from the State of Indiana; developed a wonderful relationship with the Indiana Ghost Trackers (whose helping hands made much of last year’s accomplishments possible); more than doubled our KVHS membership; developed and had two printings of Ira Fry’s book "The Kankakee River"and working on volume two; discovered the archaeological significance of the Baum’s Bridge area; developed a working relationship with Mark Schurr of the University of Notre Dame in order to discover what lies underneath; public has been kept informed of our work through the support and wonderful article’s printed in "The Times"; program to enhance fourth grade Indiana History established with local school; I hope I didn’t leave out too many of our accomplishments, but we’ve so many in 2002 they are too numerous to mention here.

I’m really looking forward to 2003 and all that it holds for KVHS and its many and varied projects. AT this time I’d like to welcome our newest KVHS members that have joined since my September newsletter: Pauline Algrim, Dr. Ray Anderson, Tim Armstrong, the Jim & Karen Bess & family, William Brown & family, Elizabeth Holtz, Judy Judge, John Lamonica, Eileen Stewart and last, but by far not the least Greg Jancosek. Greg is a modest person so I won’t list all the items he’s donated to KVHS. I’m just going to say thank you VERY much Greg.

January 11th we held a KVHS Board and Committee meeting. Tim Armstrong and Jim Bess have formed the Resource Development Committee and are working on developing ideas for sources of funds for the Collier Lodge restoration and other money needs of KVHS. Pauline Algrim has taken on the Membership Committee. Pauline has some great membership drive ideas and fund-raising opportunities. For those whose membership have lapsed or are due this quarter, they will receive notification in the hard copy newsletter Mary Hodson and Beverly Overmyer are working on.

Speaking of membership, we will be holding a general KVHS meeting on Sunday, February 16th at the Kouts Fire Station at 1:00 P.M.. The February meeting will be a membership drive event and our speaker will be Mr. Jim Bess. Mr. Bess will talk about the early history of the Kankakee Marsh, including Native Americans, European explorers, traders, surveyors and homesteaders. The discussion will focus primarily on the flora, fauna and environmental conditions of the region and how humans utilized these to their benefit. The talk will conclude with discussion of how the region has changed in the past 100 years and efforts currently underway to preserve and restore the cultural and environmental conditions that make the Kankakee Valley a unique part of American history. I can hardly wait to hear his talk and hope many of you will join us and bring a friend and take out a membership for KVHS.

Some of you may not realize that we have a KVHS Historian. Dick Schmal is well known as a scholar of the history of Northwest Indiana and we’re very fortunate to have him as our society historian. Dick is constantly sending me new information about the area and thought I’d pass this poem along he sent me about the Kankakee River to you.

The Sweet Kankakee
by J.F.Meyers

Tis sweet to reflect on the scenes of my childhood,
As often fond memory brings them to view,
The beautiful prairies, the grove with it's wildwood,
The creek in the valley where wild flowers grew,
The spring and the lawn where I and my brothers,
So many times played with a raptuvous glee,
And Bloomington, where I oft rode with another,
Who's radiant smile oft brought pleasure to me.

Now other scenes greet me, quite lovely and charming,
With beautiful groves wrapped in verdure so green;
A valley extensive, a haven for farming,
A beautiful river , meandering is seen,
And on the green banks of that beautiful river
A beautiful city stands charming to see.
An island, the work of the bountiful given,
That river was christened the sweet Kankakee.

That valley, the paradise once of the hunter,
With tent,dog and gun, he would sally with glee,
''Tis being transformed, quite according to Gunther,
They're draining the lands to the sweet Kankakee.
That beautiful river with rock for its pillow,
Its green mossy banks. they are fair to behold,
Its bright sparkling with never a billow,
So placid, its fishes sparkle like gold.

Yes, fishes and fishermen love that sweet river,
A fisherman's haven 'tis destined to be,
For fish without number you soon will discover,
If e'er you should fish in the sweet Kankakee,
That beautiful island, with charms beyond measure,
By nature bestowed with a bountiful hand,
No place can compare as an Eden of pleasure,
With that Island Park, 'tis the best in the land.

Momence on both banks of the stream is reclining,
The island and river reposing between,
With beautiful buildings and streets all combining,
Presents the beholder a beautiful scene.
O beautiful valley, thy charms beyond measure,
Have fallen, a mantle, and rest upon me,
O beautiful river, 'tis surely a pleasure,
To dwell on the banks of the sweet Kankakee

Found in a scrapbook(page 159) made from the store ledger of W. H. Patterson -pioneer ---1857 to 1859------the old book belonged to Mrs. Kattie Kelsey,of an early Lake County Ind family, ----the book was given by Miss Marcia Shurte to RIchard Schmal in 1990. She is a Kelsey family member. The large ledger has many pages of family obits and biographies. Many of the pages can be viewed at the Lowell Public Library

Go to: www.lowellpl.lib.in.us/history.htm to read more of Dick’s very interesting articles, especially his "Pioneer History" stories’.

I’m going to attach a article that was in the Winter issue of "Valpo" magazine. "Valpo" is the official magazine for Valparaiso University. The article is about Professor Ronald Janke and his involvement with Native American burial mounds in Porter County threatened by a proposed landfill being located over the sites.

The following interesting facts were sent to me from Dick Schmal. I'm calling it Dick's "Did you know....." corner.

When the "Marble Power Ditch" was completed in the early 1920’s, the Kankakee River was shortened by 80 miles in Lake and Porter Counties.

The early trappers could pole their boats from the river on a small ditch that ran to Hebron.

Baums Bridge area was the site of the Potawatomi Ford.

The area was also crossed by an early trail called the "Allen Trace" blazed by pioneer trapper.

The Potawatomi migrated from Wisconsin during the later part of the 17th Century.

Some of the "Last of the Mohicans' were said to have hidden on the islands of the Kankakee Marsh.

In 1911 Bones of a hairy mammoth were unearthed in southern Porter County on the farm of Mrs. Sazza Cooper.

When French explorer LaSalle visited the Kankakee in 1679 his men captured a buffalo.

Pioneer George Eton build a log house near Baums bridge area in 1836.

The Kankakee meets the Des Plaines River in Grundy County, Ill to form the Illinois River.

Early writer Charles Barlett wrote many years ago about the river---"The very realm of forgetfulness and oblivion"

The Kankakee , before 1900 had a fall of one foot to one and a half foot per mile in Indiana.

In 1884, there was 600,000 acres of wetland in the Kankakee Marsh in the state of Indiana.

In the early days Steamboats were used on the Kankakee River in Indiana and Illinois.

Historians wrote that the Kankakee Swamp was ten miles wide in places.

In closing I want to thank everyone who has made 2002 such a success for KVHS and hope more of you join in with us to make 2003 another great year for us. We are looking for people willing to step up to the plate and volunteering for a KVHS committee position’s or helping out in some of our other needs. I really need some help with the grounds keeping at the lodge. Another area where help is needed is someone with knowledge about Microsoft Front Page to help me with our website. Remember that many hands make for little work. Watch for the societies’ newsletter being sent out to KVHS members and see you February sixteenth.