Human Impacts

Why would someone want to settle in the calumet area?  With the lake being close to the area it provided many opportunities to flourish.  The Water was a large resource for the settlers, it made it possible for traders to send there good to the Mississippi.     The alterations in the way the water runs off the land have been the most dynamic of all the changes made to the calumet area environment. (Schoon pg 102)  There were damns canals ditches and levees created to move this water.  Indiana didn’t have many canals made, unlike Illinois.  Much of the calumet, the little calumet river and the Kankakee River travel straighten mad made channels.  Settlers set up general stores and Inns along native American trade routes. The further south of the lake the landed was very difficult to navigate. Also if you didn’t have a keen sense, the Indian trails were very difficult to navigate.  (schoon pg. 72) 

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Once the rail roads came into the area, it made travel much easier.   Railroads connected the calumet region, with the east coast.  Beginning in the; ate 1840’s these eastern companies wanted to be able to get merchandise to Chicago and farther west, farmers welcomed these lines. It made transfer needed supplies much easier. (Schoon pg 81) 

I grew up in Lowell; I have lived here my entire life.  Actuary I bought a house two down from where I grew up.  My house sits atop a large hill, on the west side of town.  It’s said that my house was the first house on the west side.  My home was built in 1862; sp yes I take pride in where I grew up.  Cedar creek runs through the center of the downtown area.  It is the remains of a channel where glacial melt waters once rushed southward.  According to Schoon Lowell has some of the most fertile farming land of the entire calumet area ( Schoon pg 171)

 Natural Resources

First of all the natural waterways, attracted many families, they could use these waterways to move goods and as a source of food.  Another kind of waterway they used was a moving waterway, such as a water driven saw.    The very fertile lowlands also created a great place to settle.  Several early pioneers’ settlements appeared where Potawatomi had their villages.  (Schoon pg. 63)  Many settlers were afraid to settle in the prairies because the fear if tress can’t grow neither can crop.  Some farmers choose the higher dry ancient shore lines to live.  This place being primarily dry, made a good place to farm .  The EJ&E railroad chose to use the vast amount of sand to build there rail lines. These dune areas didn’t pose a wash out threat.  

  

Asian carp are moving north up the Mississippi and Illinois rivers. The we're introduce in the south to help with cleaning aquaculture facilities. The escaped into the wild and are threatening natural species of fish. (asiancarp.us)


Dale Roberts is the mayor of a small town in souther Illinois, they have an annual fishing tournament for the species. The weird thing is that for this tournament there is no fishing poles, or tackle. Only a boat and nets, but not the type of fishing nets you may be thinking. These nets stay out of the water. These fish are amazingly skittish at the sound of a boat motor the keep out of water. Sometimes up to 10 ft (asiancarp.us)


These fish are on there way north and are soon to reach the great lakes, which means they could have a permanent residence. In February, the Obama Administration announced the 2012 Asian Carp Control Strategy Framework that includes a series of new measures to protect the Great Lakes from Asian carp. (asiancarp.us)
here is a link to the plans for the protection of the great lakes. http://AsianCarp.us/documents/Carps_Management_Plan.pdf

Here is a large silver head Asian carp. (treehugger.com)

A Small demonstration of what these menace fish can do. (Freshwaterfuture.org)

These fish not only pose a threat to the natural Eco system of the natural river systems, but these fish can be dangerous to fisherman safety.  With a large three to 8 pound fish being able to leap out of the water at 10ft they can easily hit an unsuspecting angler as they are boating. 

(Cleveland.com)

Thorton Quarry

The Thorton Quarry is an amazing site.  
(achicagosojourn.blogspot.com)


Nearly everyone for the Calumet region, has driven across it.  Its giant size, led me to believe as a child that this was the grand canyon.  I can vividly remember my father telling me No that is very small compared to the grand canyon.  Thornton Quarry is one of the largest commercial limestone quarry's in the world. (Schoon p.14)  The Quarry was formed as several reefs growing in warm, shallow sea environment.  It is composed of shells of coral animals (Schoon p.14)



(middlecitymosaic.blogspot.com)

The Thorton Quarry was home to a giant reef system, during the silirian period.

http://www.museum.state.il.us/exhibits/changes/htmls/tropical/underwater_silurianreef.html

Cedar Lake

Visiting Cedar lake never seemed to be too exciting of a place to visit for me, yet now that i have learned so much about the way it was created it is much more interesting.

Cedar lake sunset (Cedarlakein.gov)

Cedar Lake, the largest natural lake in Northwest Indiana, appears to be formed by glacial meltwaters that eroded a large north south channel under the ice through what are now Hanover and West Creek Townships (Schoon Calumet Beginings 23)


view of the west shoreline taken from south shore country club (monon.monon.org)

Indiana dunes west beach

I visited the Indiana dunes, west beach for the first time in my life, and I was simply amazed. As you drive into the entrance, you are consumed by the sheer magnificent nature. The first thing you see are the stages of inland marsh which draw deeper to ponds.

The dunes dwarf you as a pull up to them. Large walkways and stairs help you to climb the dunes. I couldn't help but climb a dune and dig around for anything I could find. All I came up w is old beer pull tabs.

It is amazing as soon as you pull into the west beach location.

On the other side of the road there are long stretchs of dune grass and small ponds

Some large dunes in the background to this low lying marsh land

I saw a blue herring take flight, too bad my camera could zoom in on it.

Here is a shot of the Blue herring.

It is hard to see but if you look at the three small pine trees, just above the center one is a beautiful walking trail.

I was simply set back by the sites of all there is to see, and do at this amazing park.   

Soon this Blue Evo will take flight, no honestly a Perrigrin Falcon dove down in the background, way too quick for me to shoot.

More Beautiful Dune Grass and large dunes in the background.

Mastondonts, giant bevers and the calumet region

Mastodonts and giant beavers were located in calumet region. There was a very large finding in Hebron Indiana. In 2005 there were at least 5 mastodonts found along with incisors to a Giant Beaver, and the skull of a stag moose making this one of the largest finds in Indiana, and directly in our back yards.

Indiana state muesum

Giant Beavers were in this area much larger than current beavers.  

Here is a shot form a museum   courtesy of (powip.com)

A mastodont a giant beaver and a sloth from the Illinois museum 

Calumet area moraines, ancient shorelines and outwash

I embark On my journey of the calumet area moraines, I start my journey in Lowell on rt 2. I drive east towards i65 on both side of the road it is relatively flat. Instead of taking i65 I choose Colorado ave, it is a more natural landscape than 65
as I continue north towards 231 we cross from the valpariso moraine into the lake border moraine.

The journey continues towards rt 30 the west to dyer to view the ancient glen wood shoreline.
We drive towards dyer following rt 30. As we arrive in Schererville it is easy to see the ancient shoreline towards the south of rt 30.

Just past Meyers castle I turn in to take some photos of one of the last remaining ancient dunes.

Then traveling east on rt 30 I take St John road south to arrive to some marshland

Then I take rt 41 south traveling through the Tinley moraine toward the Valparaiso moraine. Driving down 41 you can see the different land scapes from hilly

To flat farmland. I continue towards the lasalle fish and wildlife area on the Kankakee river