DRAINING THE SWAMPS 

 struggle for existence which called forth man's 

 best energies, eliminated. It was easy to live, 

 to understand the slow development of this re- 

 gion and to appreciate the rapid progress of 

 later years, We must understand its geographi- 

 cal location, its topographical formation and the 

 conditions controlling its destiny. Way back, 

 nearly a century ago, when Major Long ex- 

 plored this Kankakee region, in his report he 

 gave it the name "Kankakee Swamps." The 

 term caught the fancy of the public and has 

 been set in type for it ever since and it is impos- 

 sible to estimate how potent a factor the phrase 

 has been in retarding the growth of this coun- 

 try, Here, as well as in most all new territories, 

 the hunter followed close on the foot-steps of 

 the pathfinders and here, indeed, was the Hunt- 

 er's Paradise, Imagine, if you can, an area of 

 several hundred thousand acres of swamp and 

 marsh land and abounding with wild game of 

 all kinds and the river alive with fish of the best 

 varieties found in the States. While the deer. 



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