Aukiki River Festival

10/25/2024

Believe in Ghosts? I post this story every year around Halloween. Like to read a good ghost story? Well, gather around and I’ll tell you a whopper of a Baum’s Bridge ghost story!

You know by now that I have a special interest in stories about the old Kankakee River, especially the Baum’s Bridge area in south Porter County, Indiana. I found this linked story with my historic newspaper collection subscription from the Valparaiso Vidette Messenger.

William Ormond Wallace had a column in the Valparaiso Vidette Messages titled “The Stroller.” Wallace wrote over 700 Stroller articles until his retirement in 1962.

Although, Wallace was known to embellish his stories a bit, I believe this story to be sound. The people mentioned in the piece are well-known Baums’ Bridge residents and handwritten notes on the original copy reference additional locals I’ve read about.
Mayville was located near the intersection of 1050 S. and Baum’s Bridge Road. The John Morrison farm was another half-mile north of the intersection. Although, I’ve never been able to find the location of the Simpson home, that is not unusual for the area. All the other landmarks read true. I consider myself a sort-of agnostic when it comes to ghosts, but I do believe this story is rooted on true facts. Enjoy!

Go here to read the full A Weird Night is spent in River Shack: http://kankakeevalleyhistoricalsociety.org/?page_id=1924

10/18/2024

10/04/2024

In past years I used to give historical/ecological tours at the Collier Lodge site at Baum’s Bridge. Most of the tours was for Valparaiso University students. I begin the tour at the Collier Lodge with the historical background of the area and then walk through the bayou to the Kankakee River for the ecology part. During the history portion when I share the rich and famous that visited the Baum’s Bridge area. One question I would ask the students is who knows who Lew Wallace was. Most often the answer is a “high school in Gary.” I firmly believe that Lew Wallace is the most underappreciated and largely forgotten notable Hoosier that we of Indiana should know more about.

Wallace was born in 1827. His father, David Wallace, was the 6th governor of Indiana. Wallace served as a 2nd Lieutenant during the Mexican War and was a Major General during the Civil War. Because of his legal background he was appointed as a judge on the Abraham Lincoln assassination trial and was the presiding judge of the Captain Wirz Andersonville prison trial. In 1878 Wallace served as Governor of the New Mexico Territory, squelching the Lincoln County Wars. In 1881 he was appointed Minister to Turkey. While minister he developed a close friendship with the Sultan, Abdul Hamid II who was the ruler of the Ottoman Empire. When Wallace resigned as minister, because of the election of Grover Cleveland in 1884, he was offered a position by the Sultan which he declined. Wallace is best known as author of Ben-Hur. It was after President James Garfield read Ben-Hur and recognizing his knowledge of the Mid-East that he appointed Wallace minister.

At this point you’re probably wondering what the heck Wallace has to do with the Kankakee River. Well, he loved the Kankakee River! Even though he was raised on the Wabash, he loved the wonder and mystery of the Kankakee.

Old Timers agree that Wallace first came to the Kankakee River with a group of young hunters from Indianapolis in 1858. He owned a power launch and houseboat he named “The Thing” and steamed the Kankakee, mostly headquartering out of Baum’s Bridge. He was also frequently seen at English Lake in Starke County. Jim Collier stated that Wallace docked a “hundred yards south” of the Collier Lodge. We have reports that he dined regularly at the Collier Lodge.

Unless required by other duties Wallace was on the Kankakee River at least three times a year for the waterfowl migration season and pickerel fishing until 1894. By 1893 Wallace was experiencing some health problems with a growth in his nose. Lecturing and public speaking became more difficult for him. In 1904 Lew Wallace made his last visit to the Kankakee River at Baum’s Bridge and passed away on February 14, 1905. His son Henry continued to visit the Kankakee River at Baum’s Bridge until his death in 1926. Wallace’s houseboat was disassembled, and the material was used to build a cabin at Baum’s Bridge which remains standing to this day.

Wallace is seated on right.

09/27/2024

Many types of men with various backgrounds and aspirations were drawn to the Kankakee Marsh. Some were honest and upright and some were a wee bit unsavory. J. (James) Wesley Johnson was of the later group.

Johnson was born in 1886 to James F. and Emerillas (Merriman) Johnson in Columba City, Indiana. Tom Johnson is the grandson of J. Wesley and has done extensive research into his grandfather's life. His study provides the majority of the information that follows. Tom describes his Grandfather as a "troublesome man." He seems to jump from one nasty situation to another. In the spring of 1916 Emerillas purchased the Donley Resort at Baum's Bridge, and soon moved his family to Porter County. Emerillas was very ill at the time of the purchase. J. Wesley being the unscrupulous man that he was worked to have his dying mother sign over the property to him. This pursuit crated a dispute between J. Wesley and his father.

Hold on to your hat, this is an amazing and somewhat confusing story. A few days before J. Wesley's mother's death J. Wesley tried to secure his mother's signature on a check for $170. His cousin, Floyd Albright, was present and interfered with the plan. J. Wesley tried to shoot Albright in reprisal. This resulted in J. Wesley and his wife to be thrown in the Porter County jail for assault and battery with intent to kill. J. Wesley was later released on bail. Porter County Constable M. S. Campbell was taking J. Wesley home to Baum's Bridge when 3 shots were fired at them. The shooter escaped and the constable returned J. Wesley to Valparaiso for his safety. The shooter was allegedly J. Wesley's father. It was believed that somebody informed his father of his son's return home and his father lay in wait for his arrival. A warrant for Johnson's arrest was made for murderous assault with a deadly weapon. Mr. Johnson claimed that he acted in self defense. He maintained that while locking up the tavern a man approached him in the dark. He ordered the man to stop, but he continued to advance at which time Johnson fired his revolver at him. I assume the charges were dropped.

J. Wesley and his father reconciled their differences and peace seemed to have returned to Baum's Bridge. But, that was not to last! Within a month J. Wesley was found guilty of dynamiting fish and sentenced to 6 months at a state penal farm. Less than a month later J. Wesley escaped the penal farm and was reported to be heavily armed and hiding out along the Kankakee between Baum's and Kahler's Bridge.
After his capture I believe that J. Wesley was given a choice of serious jail time or enlist in the army. He chose the army. After his service he moved to Kansas City and was killed in a car accident in 1938, soon after his fifth marriage.

J. Wesley Johnson led a life that was in perpetual turmoil. Unpleasant that it be, I find stories like J. Wesley's fascinating! Another example of the diversity of people that make the history of the Kankakee so interesting.

J. Wesley Johnson is pictured on the left.

09/13/2024

Baum's Bridge in south Porter County is widely recognized as one of the most historic spots remaining of the former Kankakee Marsh. The last structure from the Sportsmen Era (1880-1910) at Baum's Bridge was the Collier Lodge. The Collier family was originally from Brook, Ind. Elwood Collier was born in 1858 — Flora Young in 1861. Elwood and Flora were married in Newton County, Ind in 1887. The Colliers had three children: Myrtle, Glena and James. They later adopted a girl named Helen. Glena died in 1889 and Myrtle in 1896. Both are buried in Morocco, Ind.

In 1949 Jim Collier was interviewed by the Vidette-Messenger. In the story Jim talks about the history of the Kankakee River, Baum's Bridge and the Collier family. Jim told that his father "constructed a 35 foot cabin boat, in which to take his family to the St. Louis World's Fair. The boat, propelled by a 20-horsepower gasoline engine, was christened "Iroquois", since it had been launched on the Iroquois River. Following the fair Collier promoted a new business enterprise by operating the Iroquois up and down the Kankakee River, making regular excursion trips from Baum's Bridge to Momence." Due to the unpredictable seasonal depth of the Kankakee the tour boat venture was unsuccessful.

However, that failure did not detour Elwood who was confident of the business opportunities at Baum's Bridge. After remodeling their home, which was located next to bridge, the Collier Lodge was born. Jim shared that the Colliers also operated a small store downstairs where they sold camping supplies and sportsman's equipment. "Mother Collier served delicious, tempting meals to weary fishermen with ravenous appetites. Often she served chicken and fish dinners to as many as 250 people. Dad Collier had on hand 25 to 30 boats for hire."

Jim Collier had an artistic gift and was well known for his scenic and wildlife depictions of the old Kankakee Marsh. Although, the breathtaking beauty of the Kankakee Marsh was destroyed when the marsh was drained, Jim was able to recreate it visually through his paintings. I have only seen one of Jim's paintings — the rest of his numerous works of art has since disappeared.

After Flora’s death in 1925, Elwood’s in 1943 and Jim’s in 1952 the Collier Lodge passed through a succession of owners until 2002 when the Kankakee Valley Historical Society took possession of the lodge. Unfortunately, time and general deterioration of the lodge led to the need to deconstruct the lodge. However, we have worked up plans for the new Collier Lodge Community Center

KVHS has two other restoration projects in the works: The Grand Kankakee Marsh Bridge project and the restoration of the Linden Log Cabin. The bridge too, will require funds through grants and Society efforts; however, the Linden Cabin is being accomplished through in-kind donations and volunteer time and talent. You can find the Linden Cabin story and view our progress at: www.kankakeevalleyhistoricalsociety.org

This a picture of Jim Collier in around 1950.

09/06/2024

In a 1936 report, Valparaiso University professor Alfred H Meyer described Baum’s Bridge as “the most historic spot along the Kankakee in the marsh proper.” Through my studies I have researched many landowners, particularly those that owned the parcel where the Collier Lodge would be built. William P. Betterton was one of the more significant landowners.

William Pitchard Betterton was born in 1858 in New Albany, Ind to Charles and Christina Oatman Betterton — the youngest of six children. In 1871 the Betterton family moved to a farm a mile west of Kouts. In 1888 Charles bought the future Collier Lodge property from Elizabeth Ryder.

William married Marguerite Lauer in 1880; in1886 William and Marguerite moved to the 156 acre farm adjacent to the lodge parcel. Soon after Charles’s death in 1891 William became the owner of the Betterton family “river farm” property. In 1935 William was interviewed by A J Bowser of the Vidette – Messenger. Much of this column comes from the resulting “Siftings” article.

Betterton told Bowser that he “spent thirteen years on the river farm, and like most of the other inhabitants of the river country, I did my share of hunting and fishing. General Lew Wallace had a houseboat on the river and for some time made his headquarters near Baum's Bridge. With his son Henry, the general came every spring and fall to hunt and fish, and write and rest.” Betterton became friends with Wallace and remembered him as: “a tall, well-built man, with an iron gray moustache and goatee, a military bearing stamped indelibly upon him, a very genial man who would set at ease anyone who came in his presence, regardless of his station in life. He was especially gracious to the local folks.” Betterton overheard Wallace say that the Kankakee “was the most beautiful river in the United States before it was destroyed by the hand of man.”

Betterton was in mid-life when the Kankakee Marsh was drained and channelized. He said: “The digging of the big ditch, spelled the doom of this hunter's paradise, and with its completion came the end of the famous hunting camps of this region.”
The previous owner of Betterton’s river farm owned and operated a sawmill on the property. Like most farmers of the area Betterton was a man of many talents. He operated the sawmill at Baum’s bridge until he exhausted the nearby timber; he then operated a portable mill moving it when a new timber supply became available.

Betterton sold his river farm before the river was channelized. He moved to Kouts where he opened a general store. During this time he also owned and operated a steam threshing machine. The threshing machine was so huge that it required a 35-man crew to operate it. Betterton stayed in the threshing business for 50 years until an injury ended the venture.

William Betterton was an ambitious and hardworking man. With all of his enterprises and obligations he even held the office of Pleasant Township trustee from 1914 to 1918. William passed away in 1938 at the age of 79. Marguerite was to follow in 1941.

They are buried in the Kouts Graceland Cemetery.

Betterton is pictured in the center of the group image.

08/30/2024

Religious persecution and economic hardships led many Dutch to emigrate to America during the mid to late 19th century. The Kankakee Marsh, in Jasper County, attracted a large number of these dissatisfied Dutch. Thomas Swart left his native Holland in 1868 and settled in Cicero, Illinois. Then, in 1888 he purchased 234 acres in Keener Township along the Kankakee Marsh and built up his farm. This farm property contained the legionary Grape Island! Thomas’s son Louis moved to Jasper County in 1903. Louis and his wife Anna Abbring had six children, the last of which was Leonard, born in 1908. Leonard purchased his farm in the late 1930s. In 1992 Leonard sat for the Demotte-Kankakee Valley Rotary Club Oral History Project to tell his story. Leonard “Buzz” led a diverse life along the Kankakee, including playing for the DeMotte baseball team. Leonard saw first-hand the dredging of the Kankakee: “I saw the dredge that dug the Kankakee River out on the Old Grade. My dad heard in town that it was going to be up close by the Grade. We got in the Model T and went out to see it. It was a big outfit. It wasn’t done in one year.” Leonard married Mary Catherine White in 1933 and four children. Leonard passed away in 2000, Mary Catherine followed eight months later. I want to thank Dan Swart, Leonard’s grandson, for family pictures and more details about his grandfather’s life. Go here to read Leonard’s life story: http://kankakeevalleyhistoricalsociety.org/?page_id=1416 Leonard Swart in front in between his parents. His brothers and sister are standing behind.

08/02/2024

After the railroads were built in northwest Indiana during the Civil War anyone with the ticket fare could experience the wonders of the Grand Kankakee Marsh. People from all walks of life now had access to this "Everglades of the North." A great number of them were political leaders. The most well-known that I've discovered is President Benjamin Harrison.

Harrison's first recorded visit was in 1873. Hank Brody owned a parcel of land along the present day Sandyhook Ditch— a mile north of the straightened Kankakee River in southwest Porter County. On one particularly stormy day Brody had a knock on his door—it was Mr. Harrison, his son and a man named Bradshaw. The group asked for accommodations and ended up staying the week. It was normal at that time for river guides to house their employers for the duration of their hunt.

The next visit I've found was in 1888 when the then President-elect Harrison returned to the Kankakee. The 1888 election was exceptionally brutal. General Lew Wallace was a close friend of Harrison and invited him to rest and recuperate on his houseboat located at Baum's Bridge. A. F. Knotts was Wallace's––and his guests–– regular pusher and guide. Unbeknownst to Wallace, Knotts was away to law school during Harrison's visit. Knotts went on to be a key figure facilitating U. S. Steel’s building a steel mill in Gary, Indiana. Later he became Mayor of Gray. In the 1920s he moved to Florida, where he founded Yankeetown.

In November of 1888 Don Lytle was floating by Baum's Bridge when he noticed someone was on Wallace's houseboat. It was not unusual for the local pushers to see visitors on the houseboat, but they were always on the lookout for the uninvited. Lytle was later to narrate that he "floated within hailing distance of the houseboat when a stranger appeared at the rail. He was a sturdy, round-bearded individual. Beside him stood a young man." Expecting Knotts, Harrison called out to Lytle asking if he were A. F. Knotts and that "I and my son-in-law are guests on Wallace's houseboat for a few days. We've been out this afternoon but got nothing. Can you come aboard and stay overnight, and tell us where to hunt in the morning?" Lytle worked as Harrison's guide for the next 4 days after which severe weather ended their hunting trip.

Lytle's story was taken down at a gathering of "Old Timers" at Baum's Bridge in 1934––nearly 50 years after his first meeting with Harrison. Lytle said that "Harrison could charm a whole audience with his public speaking, but that to meet people individually he was aloof and distant. Well, that's all wrong. He was the nicest type of gentleman. He wasn't rich, didn't throw money around, and he didn't have a satchel full of liquor. He was gracious but just enough reserved to be the type of man he really was. He came back to the river several times after he had served his term."

Lytle went on to become the Valparaiso Building Commissioner. He passed away in 1946 at the age of 87.

President Benjamin Harrison is pictured.

07/05/2024

In my last Facebook posting I told you of Rowley and Bertha Morehouse. My research shows that Rowley Morehouse was arguably one of the highest respected and successful Kankakee River guides of the Kankakee Marsh. Rowley and Bertha’s home was across the Kankakee River from Baum’s Bridge. Their descendants still call Northwest Indiana their home. Their daughter, Mary Thatcher, kept up her family story for all of her life. Mary was interviewed by Laverne Terpstra, Transcribed by Shirley Zeck on November 19, 1992. This work was DeMotte-Kankakee Valley Rotary Club Oral History Project

Mary Morehouse-Thatcher was a Kankakee River fur trapper’s daughter. Mary was born on August 19, 1893 to Rowley and Bertha Lange Morehouse near Wheatfield, Jasper County, Indiana. The Morehouse farm was located across the Kankakee River from Baum’s Bridge. Mary’s story tells the details of being raised on a farm at the turn of the 20th century. This was the first female’s perspective of life in the Kankakee Marsh that I’ve come across. So many little things that we take for granted were labor intensive in the early 1900s. Bath taking is one example that Mary told about: “To take a bath, we took the wash tub behind the stove, (ha, ha) heat some water and crawl in there and take your bath. Then that all had to be dumped out. The next guy come along. My mother always put the boiler on when it come time to take baths. A couple times a week we took a bath. When she took out one to give a bath, she put a little more water in the boiler to keep hot water. Everybody had their baths. It was hard getting along in those days, I tell you.” But, male or female, everyone worked the farm. Mary talks about all aspects of farm life and its duties. Mary passed away on January 30, 1994 not far from where she was born in Jasper County, Indiana along the Kankakee River. Mary lived to see her one-hundredth birthday! Mary is pictured on right front in around 1910

Mary can be seen near the front of the buggy. Go here to read Mary’s life story: http://kankakeevalleyhistoricalsociety.org/?page_id=1405

06/28/2024

I a previous Facebook posting was about the Rowley and Bertha Morehouse 50th anniversary in 1937. Rowley was arguably one of the most knowledgeable and legendary characters of the old Kankakee River. Rowley was born in 1859 in Michigan. Around 1882 he moved to Jasper County, Indiana. Eventually, Morehouse owned 1000 acres along the Kankakee River south of Baum's Bridge.

Rowley farmed, timbered, trapped and hunted the Kankakee River. Trapping back then was a very lucrative business in the Kankakee Marsh. Morehouse stated "if I didn't get half a dozen mink or c**n in one day I didn't consider it a normal day at all." Hunting and acting as guide were other sources of income. "My brother William and I and two or three other hunters got 225 ducks and 21 geese in three days" said Morehouse.
Morehouse had about 700 acres under cultivation with the rest used for trapping and hunting. Kankakee River land was becoming more valuable and sought after. Just prior to WW I prices jumped from $12 an acre to as high as $175. One marsh land investor "announced that he would buy the whole county of Jasper if they would abolish the courthouse."

Morehouse was well acquainted with the rich and famous that came to the Kankakee Marsh. He was honored to count General Lew Wallace as one of his friends. "I have talked with him (Lew Wallace) on many occasions, and he has been my guest in my home many times... He seemed to like my stories and often urged me to tell them. At one point not more than 80 rods from Oxbow Bend he wrote 13 chapters of his famous story, Ben Hur.”

I think my favorite yarn told by Morehouse was the story of Chief Pokagon's granddaughter. In 1879 Morehouse lived at Houghton Lake, Michigan. "There were lots of Indians and I got acquainted with some and went down to their place every Saturday night and took a pint" said Morehouse. Later when Morehouse lived in Jasper County he "went to Valpo with a load of hogs. Going up the hill on Franklin Street I saw the Indians in camp there." He struck up a conversation with a young Indian lady. He asked her how she liked Valparaiso. She told him "Oh, fine, the men are so nice. They take me to Flint Lake and to Wanatah." Rowley asked her if she knew Chief Pokagon and she replied "He's my grandpa. They brag about my American blood when we visit." She told him that Chief Pokagon was at Flint Lake, but she could not join them because there was no room in the car. Being the gallant man he was, Rowley told her he would return later and take her to Flint Lake. He went home and told his wife that he was returning to Valpo that evening. "She thought she was going too, and asked me what was going on in Valpo. I told her I'd met an old pal and she asked me to come back tonight." The "she" is the key word here! "The wife’s lips turned blue and she said she wasn't going, and you ain't going either! It looks stormy and you have a bad cold. That was the end of the argument. I didn't go to Valpo.” So ended Rowley's escapade to Flint Lake!

Rowley Morehouse passed away on October 17, 1942 and is buried at the Kouts Graceland Cemetery.