A very important figure in Kankakee River history was the fur trapper. From earliest times up until today fur trapping of the Kankakee Marsh has been an active pursuit. Demand and price has fluctuated, but the industry has always existed. This has been a business that both the Native American and white men engaged in. Today trapping is not as popular as in the past because of low demand. In 1883, Major McFadin wrote this about the fur trapper. "The Kankakee still retains its place as one of the best trapping grounds in the State. Every six miles of this river is taken up by trappers who make a fair living catching muskrats, mink and a few otter. A fair average catch per day is 30 rat. Fall rat skins sell at from ten to fourteen cents. Spring rats are much higher in price, usually bringing twenty cents." J. Lorenzo Werich wrote: "during the Civil War a mink hide would sell from $4.00 to $9.00 and a good coon skin would bring $4.50." With their wealth of knowledge of the marsh the Kankakee trapper often supplemented their income by acting as guides for the sportsmen.
Werich in his "Pioneer Hunter of the Kankakee" wrote at length about the trapper's life on the Kankakee and what brought them to the marsh. "As gold and gems was the magnet that attracted our Hoosier folks to the Far West, so it was the fur trade that brought the early explorers to the Kankakee region." With no established hunting ground many disputes sprung up. Werich writes: "So some of the old pioneer trappers got together and established what is known as a trappers' claim...and were divided by a line running north and south as the river is supposed to flow...and was from 2 to 10 miles in width." McFadin wrote that although prices for rats are low in the fall "trappers are compelled to catch rats in the fall in order to keep others off their ground."
McFadin sums up the character of the Kankakee trapper. "A majority of these trappers are hard working, intelligent, honest men, with homes and families. Occasionally, however, a man is found devoid of all instincts of decency and fair play, a veritable Pariah amongst the flock. Their lives, however, as trappers, usually cease after one season."
Early traps were crude devices constructed out of logs, sticks, twine and rope. They were effective, but inefficient. The introduction of the steel trap was the solution. Werich wrote: "In the fall of 1845 Harrison Hartz Folsom and Rens Brainard" went to Hebron and engaged blacksmith John Alyea "to make them three dozen steel rat-traps at one dollar each, and four two-spring otter traps, or wolf traps as they are sometimes called, at three dollars each. These were the first steel traps made and set in the Kankakee country."
Early trappers of the Kankakee Marsh have a checkered reputation. On the one hand they are often referred to as "River Rats" of low morale character and other times acknowledged for their work ethics, resourcefulness and grit. Probably both descriptions are accurate.

Good read Mark, thanks.
Looked it up on Wikipedia, that would have been quite a place to see.

Zim

There is a really good documentary about the Kankakee river called, Everglades of the north, story of the grand Kankakee marsh. If someone knows how to post it on here. It talks about how they took 250 miles of winding river and straightened into a 90 mile ditch. They also drained the largest lake in Indiana into the river and built a town where the lake was. Etc. it’s real interesting documentary

Everglades of the north, story of the grand Kankakee marsh.

Good story.
That fella looks just like you, only better.lol.

I live in that marsh...and many trappers are still here.
There is a book on kankakee history with many stories of days gone by...

https://www.pbs.org/video/the-story-of-the-grand-kankakee-marsh-evt7wb/

here is a link to the video. if you got an hour to watch it its pretty interesting.

Great thread. Thanks for posting.

Great post! Thanks for sharing that and follow up more.

I'm here north of you Kenny. I get caught up in all the nostalga when trapping this place. So many stories from local farmers and older trappers that are now gone. . I know where the old lake beds were, Where the indian burial mounds used to be, I trap a place where the dredgers abandoned because it was too much effort. It's one of the few isolated places left. The farmers tell stories truck beds full of muskrats. There is still an underlying battle between those who are trying to perserve the marsh and the farmers who need drainage.

I got a story told to me by an old farmer he said an attorney named Mr Robbins tried to start the town of North. Star. This was a marsh land and Mr Robbins had many farmer's and business people who wanted this area drained. Well the state of Indiana was all about swamp busting so he was approve for a town.
The largest ditch was made from east 20 miles west. The town was never built but we have the biggest ditch named. Robbins ditch....that goes to the kankakee river..

inflation

In 1883 $.10 is equal to about $3.05 today,
in 1865 (civil war) $4 is equal to $75.50 today

so based on that prices were not so great, of course I'll bet one could live easily on less back then (lack of taxes)

So where you all you guys at in northern Indiana?

Starke county...look up Kankakee Fish & Wildlife

Also starke county....if you look at the map the northwest corner is cut off.....when this was founded it was square, but the county gave the corner to laporte county because it was all wet land .
And laporte is a French word for open door...when you got west of laporte it was grassland as far as anyone could see....

Starke county here also. North Judson to be exact

What a shame they ruined that great trapping and hunting area.
Must have been something to see back in the day before they drained it.

Boco there still wet land here .just not as many. There is kankakee fish and wildlife the part of the swamp.

Kingsbury fish and wildlife is also and lots small wetlands around here..and a lot of trapper....