n, ^ A.?" '^fff?\f? THE Ghqrm -0F- aRKO-KEB U\AL Smarms 0f Kankakee. ^n the B'lm P nmeval Days One golden autumn day, two hundred years ago, the famous ChevaUer La SaUe, with Hennepin, the Jesuit his- torian, and Tonty, the explorer, making a voyage famed in story along the shores of the mighty Northern lakes, dis- covered the source of what is now the Kankakee river. Before that time no white man had trod those pebbled shores, and there was only wilderness, howling beasts and still more savage men. Charmed by the crystal river that flowed through the soft green fields, the explorers ventured to penetrate the country through which it ran, and thereby reached the valley of the Kankakee, called by the Indians "Wonderland." "There," says the historian, "we rested to enjoy the beauties of landscape of which before we had but dreamed." 'y 'ream o f 1i;e Present. The many years since then have given to that garden •,pot of the North only such additional beauties as man 5 CHARMS OF KANKAKEE. could supply without despoiling nature's fairest handiwork. In the depths of this smiling valley lies the City of Kanka- kee — fifty-six miles, or two hours' run, due south of Chicago, six hours' ride from Springfield, nine hours from St. Louis, twelve hours from Cairo, nine hours from Cincinnati, five hours from Indianapolis, and about two hours from Lafay- ette, Ind., and also easy of access from every other quarter by the following railroads which center there : the Illinois Central; the Cincinnati, Indianapolis, St. Louis & Chicago; the Kankakee cSc Seneca, and the Indiana, Illinois &: Iowa. This city presents itself in most fascinating lights to those who seek the pleasures of a summer, with all the charms of the country and the beauty of rustic scenes, and still the life and pleasure of a leading watering-place. The natural advantages could hardly be improved. Oool Dreezes of tpe [foortr). The river valley stretching southward from the big lakes of the North forms a sort of natural channel for the fresh, cool breezes of the great Lake Michigan region, sweeping over miles anil miles of sweet-smelling grain, until they reach down among the mammoth oaks and quivering maples of picturesque Kankakee. Centrally located with regard to all roads, and in one of the most beautiful curves of the Kankakee river, stands the new and elegant Hotel River- view. rirst Ploor. Vv^ Guest's 5.-D Chamber '^ 5- 7 Guest's 3 Chamber Kitchen Tliiril J"Ioor. CHARMS OF KANKAKEE. )\)e Hotel l\ive rview. The Hotel Riverview was erected by the Riverview Hotel Company at a cost of about $70,000. It is of the Rustic Villa style of architecture, 135 x 140 feet on the ground, four stories high, and a high granite basement. It is furnished in exquisite taste and lighted and watered in the most im- proved methods; contains 80 guest chambers and can accommodate about 200 people at a time. From its wide, cool galleries — for its broad piazzas face the sweeping landscape at all points of the compass - are visible all the scenic beauties of the place for many miles away. It is beautiful in design and finish, with superb entrance, carriage portiere and broad balconies and verandas look- ing in all directions. All the rooms are outside rooms ; every room contains a closet, and all rooms are con- necting, so that a family may occupy as many or as few rooms en suite as they may desire. Many rooms contain fire-places, and the whole house is heated by steam— an entirely new device in summer-resort hotels, but made essential in Northern watering-places by the sometimes cool nights and mornings. There are several gen- eral bath-rooms, and many suites have separate baths with hot and cold water. In fact, the house has every beauty and convenience that modern invention and money can supply as completely as any hotel in New York or Chicago. There are row-boats and steam yachts on CHARMS OF KANKAKEE. II the river, billiard-rooms, lawn-tennis courts, and croquet grounds. A landscape gardener, imported from abroad, has laid out the scene with all the perfection of art. The Riverview is under the management of Captain Jewett Wilcox, a well-known and successful hotel manager. He formerly conducted the Tremont House, in Chicago, and the famous Lafayette, Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota. His name is, of itself, a sufficient guaranty of the skill and care with which the establishment will be directed. ^\)Q Beauties of t^e l\ iver. Following the sinuous shores, edged with pebbly beaches, olf to the far northwest, the eye is first arrested by the del- icate tracery of a suspension bridge which spans the river, erected and used by the Illinois Central Railroad. Two miles farther down the river, toward the northwest, is the village of Bourbonnais, where .St. Viateur's Catholic college is located. This is a very pretty village, and the drives and scenes in this neighborhood and along the river are very interesting and picturesque, taking in Rock Creek, "The Caves," and many striking and peculiar formations oi nature. Just at the bend of the river, southeast from the hotel, a dark-green clump midstream marks the beginning of the chain of islands that dot the river thence to Waldron and CHARMS OF KANKAKEE, 13 through which the httle steamer, Minnie Lilhe, wends a devi- ous way on her many daily trips. Northwest from the Hotel Riverview towers the Gothic Arcade. In the Arcade the people's wants are supplied. It is a veritable commercial casino, containing within its red brick walls and vaulted roof, the theatre, First National Bank, Post Office, Western Union Telegraph, American Express, stores and offices, the whole finished and proportioned in artistic style. Directly north from the hotel, half a mile away, is the depot of the Cincinnati, Indianapolis, St. Louis & Chicago Railroad, familiarly known as the "Big Four." From this depot Chicago Avenue runs south to the hotel. ^be B els and U\ ouievards and Unves Just before reaching the " Riverview " the avenue takes the form of a boulevard and, making a gentle curve, runs around the house and loses itself among the groves that skirt the river banks. This avenue is to be still further transformed into a broad boulevard for driving and riding, and, when completed, will rank with any of the noted park- ways around Chicago, offering easy and delightful means of approach to the many beautiful groves that he all along the river from Kankakee to Waldron, a quaint little village just above the junction of the Iroquois and Kankakee rivers, and distant from the City of Kankakee about five miles. CHARMS OF KANKAKEE. 15 Near the hotel, half hidden in deep clusters of majestic oaks, are the most beautiful residences of the city, promi- nent among which are those of Mr. Lillie, Judge Hickox and Hon. Emory Cobb — the last a great, gray mansion of the "old style," such as our fathers knew in "the stately days of old." rrfoodern ^toci? Harm. At the east, and adjoining the hotel grounds, lies Mr. Cobb's stock farm, which is noted as the home of improved Shorthorns, some of which have been sent to England at the long price of $3,000. From the southeast porch of the hotel the view of this farm and the water-works, with the river winding away to the southeast, is not rivaled anywhere in this section of the country. Dird s-Qye View of ti^e Illinois Qastern Hospital. Southwest from the Hotel Riverview, across the river and about half a mile distant, can be seen the buildings and grounds of the Illinois Eastern Hospital. Here everything is system and neatness. The dark-gray buildings rear their tops among the upper branches of the surrounding trees, underneath which slope undulating lawns, lightened here and there by beds of bright flowers. ♦ CHARMS OF KANKAKEE. 17 Waving Fields of trrain, and t[;e l\ailroads centering from all Uirections, The entire southwestern prospective from the hotel broadens into a wide expanse of billowy fields of grain, across which light and shadow chase each other as the breeze bends the tall wheat and murmurs softly to the nodding heads of rye. Railroad lines, stretching to the northwest, south and southeast, mark the course of the Illinois Central and Cincinnati, Indianapolis, St. Louis iv Chicago Railroads, which offer safe and rapid transit from all points of the compass to this Queen of Summer Resorts. Huntinn and Kisl^inp. Within about an hour's ride from Kankakee, due east, on the line of the Indiana, Illinois & Iowa Railroad, is the famous Beaver Lake hunting ground, where, in the season, abound thousands of ducks, geese, etc., and within a half-hour's ride on the Southwestern branch of the Illinois Central are the headwaters of the Vermilion river, where fine duck shooting is to be had \n the game season. The river at certain seasons of the year affords fine bass and pickerel fishing, and the gently sloping banks offer most tempting spots for excursion and fishing parties. PRACTICAL 0DVANTAGES 0P KaNKAKEE Sts Water rower, Ooal Hields, l\ailroads and rr manufactories. But the advantages of Kankakee are not limited to its charming scener}', its beautiful river and its invigorating climate. The river that gives color and shape to its topog- raphy, is 500 feet wide at this point, and affords one of the finest water powers in the country for manufactories. The railroad advantages and proximity to the coal fields of both Illinois and the East are such that coal for manufacturing purposes can be laid down in Kankakee at a great reduction on prices for the same coal in Chicago. The manufactories include the Kankakee roller grist mill, with a capacity of 150 barrels per day; the Kankakee Paper Company, which manufactures a superior quality of straw-board and has a daily capacity of five tons; the Keat- ley stocking factory, which operates forty machines and makes 15,000 dozen pairs annually; the Kankakee woolen mill, which contains entirely new machinery and turns out 400,000 pounds of wool yarn per annum; and among other enterprises are the Woodruff c^: Beaumont foundrv machine 18 CHARMS OF KANKAKEE. 19 shop (Mr. Beaumont being the inventor of the Beaumont stop-valve and fire hydrant); tlie Rodeke Brewing Company, which has been refitted the past year with complete modern machinery; the tile and brick factories, and the shoe factory, which makes over 400 pairs of shoes daily. The broad acres of finely watered lantl offer the best of inducements for stock raising and farming. Building stone is found here in inexhaustible quantities and of a superior quality. It is used almost exclusively by the Illinois Central Company for bridge piers and other construction work. r opulation, f foewspapers, Water, lSiq^T, Qtc. This city of 8,000 inhabitants supports three first- class newspapers: The Gazette, Mr. Charles Holt editor, and Mr. Arthur Holt local editor; The ChieJ\ R. H. Bal- langer editor, and R. A. Ballanger (city attorney) local editor, and The Kankakee Times, edited by Messrs. Livings- ton & Shaw. These papers prove by their existence as well as their able writings that the city has its financial as well as pleasurable advantages. During the past season a $100,000 system of water-works, combining the direct pressure and stand-pipe systems, has been constructed. There are about twelve miles of street mains and 110 hydrants. Public watering troughs and drinking fountains are numerous. CHARMS OF KANKAKEE. 21 The city is lighted by thirty electric arc lights, suspended at the intersection of street corners at regular intervals of four blocks. Large and well-equipped gas-works furnish an abun- dant supply of light of good quality for in-door illumination. The streets are generally macadamized and finely shaded. The soldiers' monument in Court House square stands on a pedestal of Quincy granite, and is surmounted by a seven- foot figure in bronze of a soldier at parade rest. Sec.35 T.31 N., R.12. E.OF SrdP.M T. 30 N., R.llB., E. OF 2nd P.I NDIAN b&GENDS and HlST0Rie heRE. (^be Liast rHcin w[)o could (^all? I ottawatomie. One of the most striking characteristics of Kankakee, and one that tinges its whole Hfe and appearance with quaint pecLiUarity, is the prevalence of Indian and Canadian names, habits and forms of speech. For the cause one must search back into the dim history of this little valley that was once the cradle of a race now dead, and whose very speech was lately lost by the death of Gurdon S. Hubbard, aged 85, the "oldest inhabitant" of Chicago, and probably the only human being who could speak the Pottawatomie tongue. ^^e Qarly (^etilers / The first white settlers were French Canadians, among whom was Washington Bourbonnais, whose name still clings to a reservation in the northwest part of the town, and Noel Vasseur, agent of the famous American Fur Company, 23 CHARMS OF KANKAKEE 25 then headed by old John Astor, of New York. These early settlers found the place in the hands of the Indians — Potta- watomies, Algonquins, Ottawas and Ojibwas, each speaking a different dialect, based upon a common linguistic founda- tion. After these settlers came a Jesuit mission, and grad- ually the white man's encroachments drove off the Indian, until the autumn of 183S, when the last of the Pottawato- mies left for the land west of the Mississippi, the other tribes having gone before. ^be bast of tbe f^ed Hften. A strange story is told of Shawanassee, an Indian chief- tain, the last who died in this valley in 1834. He was buried in a pen of logs, and, according to the custom of the race, his gun, belt, pouch and pipes were buried with him, but said to have been afterward stolen by a half-breed named Joseph Chabonnier. History says that four years after his burial, the old chief (reminiscences of H. S. Bloom) was seen sitting upright on his bier almost as natu- ral as the day he was placed there. In spite of this, how- ever, the bones and skull of the old man were afterward desecrated and taken away, no trace being left of the place of burial. This hunt for the burial place affords plenty of amusement and recreation to parties of pleasure seekers in the summer. 26 CHARMS OF KANKAKEE. ynlain of the t'iame f\an[?al?ee. "The Indians called the present site of the city 'Ti-yar- ack-naunk ' or 'Wonderland,'" said Mr. Hubbard in his recollections before the old settlers' reunion at the Chicago Calumet Club; "and," he adds, "truly the name was apt, for, as I recall my first impressions when the Kankakee valley burst upon my vision, in the spring of 1822, I thought I had never seen a more beautiful landscape in my life." The origin of the present name is traced through various corruptions. St. Carme, a voyageur of 1693, called it The-a-li-ke. Father Wanest, a French priest of 17 12, called it Hau-ki-ki. Charlevoix called it The-a-ki-ki, which he says was corrupted to Ki-a-ki-ki. " Theak " meant wolf in the language of the Mahnigans, a race who were contemporaneous with the Pottawatomies, if not be- fore them, and who were surnamed "the wolves." This race is said to have been related to, if not identical with, the Mohicans, told of in Fenimore Cooper's novel, ■'■' Tlve last of the Mohicans." Mr. Hubbard says the French settlers called it " Qnin-que-que," from which the corrup- tion to Kankakee is but natural. The Pottawatomies were a race of fighters and played a bloody and leading part in the massacre of Chicago in 1812. (q-ReWTH 0P THE 61TY. Its incorporation — -Its Pirst l\ailroacl. The original town, now Kankakee, was surveyed in 1853, its postal name being then " Kankakee Depot," which was changed, in 1853, to Kankakee City. During the latter year the Illinois Central Railroad erected a freight house and depot at Rivard Crossing, two miles north of the city. It then intended to go to Eourhonnais, but, owing to exor- bitant land-rates demanded by the farmers, quietly changed its route to the present location. The first dwelling-house built in Kankakee was that of A. 15. True, completed late in 1852, some time before the town was surveyed. In 1855, the Grove City House was built and inaugurated by a "grand ball." The first postmaster was Samuel L. Knigiit, afterward elected "President of Kankakee." In 1855, Messrs. A. Chester and Col. A. W. Mack incorporated the first bank in Kankakee. 27 28 CHARMS OF KANKAKEE. Klatterina Dusmess rrospects. Since those early days the town has grown and thrived, growing in beauty and wealth. The county has a popula- tion of 30,000, Kankakee, as yet only in its youth as a city, affords great inducements to both visitors and investors, and is progressing rapidly and steadily under the influence of its jiublic-spirited citizens. Mow to tret (^Ijere. The Illinois Central Railroad, between Kankakee and Chi- cago, runs six daily trains each way on week days and two each way on Sunday; two trains each way daily connect Kankakee and Cairo and St. Louis and New Orleans, with sleepers of Pullman's latest design on night trains. Spring- field, 111., is well cared for by the trains of the Springfield Branch, which make the run between the two cities in quick time and by daNdight, in l)()th directions. Oilman, Champaign, Centralia, Jackson, Tenn., Bloom- ington, Clinton, Decatur, and many other points which are reached by the Illinois Central system, are brought within an easy and comfortable journey. The Cincinnati, Indianapolis, St. Louis & Chicago Rail- way (Kankakee Line), with its splendid service of numer- CHARMS OF KANKAKEE. ous trains, elegant eciuipment, including Pullman sleepers and chair cars of the latest design and finish, connect Kan- kakee with Lafayette, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and, by con- necting lines, with all points in the southeast. Three trains each way daily are run between Kankakee and Lafayette and Indianapolis, and two each way between Kankakee and Cincinnati. Tourists from the South holding Summer Excursion tickets to Chicago or other points will be allowed stop-over privileges at Kankakee, either going or returning, within the life of the ticket. For terms, etc., at Hotel Riverview, per day, week or sea- son, address or apply to Jewett Wilcox, Manager, 124 Washington Street, Chicago, until June i ; after that date, Hotel Riverview, Kankakee. 111. /. ^o tfX9