English Lake, Indiana
Encyclopedia
English Lake is an unincorporated community in Starke County
, Indiana
, United States
, located along the Kankakee River
. It is a small community of only a few hundred individuals. It is named for English Lake, which once existed at the junction of the Yellow River
with the Kankakee. The headquarters for the Kankakee Fish and Wildlife Area
is located in English Lake.
, hickory, aspen
, gum, sassafras
, whatleberry, elm
, ash, maple
, willow
, and birch
. It also identified that it was in the "great marsh" of the Kankakee
Meanwhile an 1835 survey by jeremiah Smith, likened the area to Hades
of Greek Mythology. The survey of 1903, identified the lake as the largest lake in the state of Indiana
.
The town of English Lake began as a railroad station in 1860 for the Chicago, Cincinnati and St. Louis Railroad
, also known as the Panhandle Route. By 1864, the wildlife of the "Great Marsh" was bringing in hunters from around the country. The English Lake Gun Club was founded in 1864, adjacent to the railroad tracks. In 1897, the Brighton Rod and Gun Club of Brighton Park, Chicago
established a club house along the Panhandle Route. In 1900, the Railroad Club opened a club house in English Lake for the Pennsylvania Railroad workers of Logansport
.
English Lake is named for the 'Lake' that once existed on the Kankakee River. It was the widest part of the river. During the spring floods, it could become 7 miles long and 1 to 2 miles wide. (11 km by 2 to 3 km).
Dredging
Beginning in 1871, there were efforts to drain the "Great Marsh" to create farmland. The Kankakee valley Daring Company failed that year for lack of funds. IN 1887 and 1897 additional attempts to create a drainage program failed due to local protests over the assessments to be used to pay for the project. The Craigmile Ditch, a lateral to the Kankakee, was stopped in 1898 when it reached the railway crossing. It was not until 1902, when the courts ruled that the Kankakee could be ditched did the work really begin.
The Court case was over a bill passed by the state legislature in 1899 to begin the ditching effort. By October of that year, it had been taken to court. In 1900, the ditching case was elevated to the Circuit Court and there were proposals to change the rout and not to assess local land owners for the cost. So far, all the ditching efforts had been upstream of English Lake on either the Yellow River
or the Kankakee River
. The court decision opened the way for dredging on the main river through the lake. By July 1904, the dredges were into English Lake working their way upstream. By the end of the year, there were 7 dredges at work.
Starke County, Indiana
Starke County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2010, the population was 23,363. The county seat is Knox.-History:Starke County was created in 1835 and organized in 1850. It was named for Gen...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, located along the Kankakee River
Kankakee River
The Kankakee River is a tributary of the Illinois River, approximately long, in northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois in the United States. At one time the river drained one of the largest wetlands in North America and furnished a significant portage between the Great Lakes and the...
. It is a small community of only a few hundred individuals. It is named for English Lake, which once existed at the junction of the Yellow River
Yellow River (Indiana)
The Yellow River is a tributary of the Kankakee River in northern Indiana in the United States. Via the Kankakee and Illinois rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of...
with the Kankakee. The headquarters for the Kankakee Fish and Wildlife Area
Kankakee Fish and Wildlife Area
The Kankakee Fish and Wildlife Area is situated in Starke County at the junction of the Yellow River with the Kankakee River. The state purchased of marshland in 1927 for a Civilian Conservation Corp. camp. The camp consisted of up to 400 men. After the camp closed, the became established as a...
is located in English Lake.
History
The area where the community would develop was first recorded in an 1834 survey by Silvester Sibley. He listed the area as sandy, rolling hills of oakOak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
, hickory, aspen
Aspen
Populus section Populus, of the Populus genus, includes the aspen trees and the white poplar Populus alba. The five typical aspens are all native to cold regions with cool summers, in the north of the Northern Hemisphere, extending south at high altitudes in the mountains. The White Poplar, by...
, gum, sassafras
Sassafras
Sassafras is a genus of three extant and one extinct species of deciduous trees in the family Lauraceae, native to eastern North America and eastern Asia.-Overview:...
, whatleberry, elm
Elm
Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus Ulmus in the plant family Ulmaceae. The dozens of species are found in temperate and tropical-montane regions of North America and Eurasia, ranging southward into Indonesia. Elms are components of many kinds of natural forests...
, ash, maple
Maple
Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...
, willow
Willow
Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
, and birch
Birch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
. It also identified that it was in the "great marsh" of the Kankakee
Kankakee River
The Kankakee River is a tributary of the Illinois River, approximately long, in northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois in the United States. At one time the river drained one of the largest wetlands in North America and furnished a significant portage between the Great Lakes and the...
Meanwhile an 1835 survey by jeremiah Smith, likened the area to Hades
Hades
Hades , Hadēs, originally , Haidēs or , Aidēs , meaning "the unseen") was the ancient Greek god of the underworld. The genitive , Haidou, was an elision to denote locality: "[the house/dominion] of Hades". Eventually, the nominative came to designate the abode of the dead.In Greek mythology, Hades...
of Greek Mythology. The survey of 1903, identified the lake as the largest lake in the state of Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
.
The town of English Lake began as a railroad station in 1860 for the Chicago, Cincinnati and St. Louis Railroad
Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad
The Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad, commonly called the Pan Handle Route , was a railroad forming part of the Pennsylvania Railroad system. Its common name came from its main line west from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania across the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia...
, also known as the Panhandle Route. By 1864, the wildlife of the "Great Marsh" was bringing in hunters from around the country. The English Lake Gun Club was founded in 1864, adjacent to the railroad tracks. In 1897, the Brighton Rod and Gun Club of Brighton Park, Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
established a club house along the Panhandle Route. In 1900, the Railroad Club opened a club house in English Lake for the Pennsylvania Railroad workers of Logansport
Logansport, Indiana
Logansport is a city in and the county seat of Cass County, Indiana, United States. The population was 18,396 at the 2010 census. Logansport is located in northern Indiana, at the junction of the Wabash and Eel rivers, northeast of Lafayette.-History:...
.
Geography
English Lake is located at 41.265874°N 86.823630°W (41.265874, -86.823630). It lies 669 feet (204 m) above sea level.English Lake is named for the 'Lake' that once existed on the Kankakee River. It was the widest part of the river. During the spring floods, it could become 7 miles long and 1 to 2 miles wide. (11 km by 2 to 3 km).
Dredging
Beginning in 1871, there were efforts to drain the "Great Marsh" to create farmland. The Kankakee valley Daring Company failed that year for lack of funds. IN 1887 and 1897 additional attempts to create a drainage program failed due to local protests over the assessments to be used to pay for the project. The Craigmile Ditch, a lateral to the Kankakee, was stopped in 1898 when it reached the railway crossing. It was not until 1902, when the courts ruled that the Kankakee could be ditched did the work really begin.
The Court case was over a bill passed by the state legislature in 1899 to begin the ditching effort. By October of that year, it had been taken to court. In 1900, the ditching case was elevated to the Circuit Court and there were proposals to change the rout and not to assess local land owners for the cost. So far, all the ditching efforts had been upstream of English Lake on either the Yellow River
Yellow River (Indiana)
The Yellow River is a tributary of the Kankakee River in northern Indiana in the United States. Via the Kankakee and Illinois rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of...
or the Kankakee River
Kankakee River
The Kankakee River is a tributary of the Illinois River, approximately long, in northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois in the United States. At one time the river drained one of the largest wetlands in North America and furnished a significant portage between the Great Lakes and the...
. The court decision opened the way for dredging on the main river through the lake. By July 1904, the dredges were into English Lake working their way upstream. By the end of the year, there were 7 dredges at work.