Platial | Who and What's Nearby
Platial | Who and What's Nearby
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There is a spot of land in northern Indiana that isn’t really worth a second look to someone driving by. It is farmland, covered mostly in soybean fields with the occasional corn. The land is dry, possibly in the first stages of desertification. The soil crumbles if you hold it in your hand, and the only flowing water is a small (ten feet wide at the most) drainage ditch that used to be a flowing river.
Before farmers, namely Caucasians, came to this area of northern Indiana and drained the massive wetlands that used to be where the farms are today, the land was considered sacred to the Native Americans in the area, a paradise of sorts. If ever there was a Garden of Eden, there’s a good chance it was in northern Indiana. Believe it or not, there used to be bears that lived up here, mountain lions, and more bird species than you could probably count. The wetlands used to be a major stopping point for birds migrating north. When the wetlands were drained, the wildlife left. I can’t remember the exact number, but the draining of the Kankakee Marsh drove an unfathomable number of avian species to complete extinction.
The marsh used to be a favorite hunting place of Theodore Roosevelt. The old, derelict lodge that he used to be a common patron still stands near what remains of the Kankakee River a few miles from the dry fields. It stands as a testament to the fact that Roosevelt failed in his attempt to make the Kankakee Marsh one of the great National Parks of the United States; his lodge has fallen apart with the marshes.
When people pass through this part of the state, many are quick to notice the flat, rural landscape, completely ignorant to the fact that there used to be a massive wetlands covering a good percentage of the area. This land was sacred…the livelihood of Native Americans and wildlife. It was paradise. Now, it is farmland, concrete highways, and industrial buildings. If you want to talk about the destruction of place, the abomination that is what used to be the great Kankakee Marsh is a prime example to center discussion around. You want to talk man destroying beauty, here you have it. You want to talk about the loss of the sacred, literally throwing life down the train for the sake of agricultural wealth…look at the farms around here. How can you do this and not be disgusted.
There is a spot of land in northern Indiana that isn’t really worth a second look to someone driving by. It is farmland, covered mostly in soybean fields with the occasional corn. The land is dry, possibly in the first stages of desertification. The soil crumbles if you hold it in your hand, and the only flowing water is a small (ten feet wide at the most) drainage ditch that used to be a flowing river.
Before farmers, namely Caucasians, came to this area of northern Indiana and drained the massive wetlands that used to be where the farms are today, the land was considered sacred to the Native Americans in the area, a paradise of sorts. If ever there was a Garden of Eden, there’s a good chance it was in northern Indiana. Believe it or not, there used to be bears that lived up here, mountain lions, and more bird species than you could probably count. The wetlands used to be a major stopping point for birds migrating north. When the wetlands were drained, the wildlife left. I can’t remember the exact number, but the draining of the Kankakee Marsh drove an unfathomable number of avian species to complete extinction.
The marsh used to be a favorite hunting place of Theodore Roosevelt. The old, derelict lodge that he used to be a common patron still stands near what remains of the Kankakee River a few miles from the dry fields. It stands as a testament to the fact that Roosevelt failed in his attempt to make the Kankakee Marsh one of the great National Parks of the United States; his lodge has fallen apart with the marshes.
When people pass through this part of the state, many are quick to notice the flat, rural landscape, completely ignorant to the fact that there used to be a massive wetlands covering a good percentage of the area. This land was sacred…the livelihood of Native Americans and wildlife. It was paradise. Now, it is farmland, concrete highways, and industrial buildings. If you want to talk about the destruction of place, the abomination that is what used to be the great Kankakee Marsh is a prime example to center discussion around. You want to talk man destroying beauty, here you have it. You want to talk about the loss of the sacred, literally throwing life down the train for the sake of agricultural wealth…look at the farms around here. How can you do this and not be disgusted.
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