PART I: INTRODUCTION 



Background 



For as far back as historical accounts date, the Illinois River 

 Valley has been described as unusually productive of fish and wildlife. 

 The French explorer Marquette wrote in 1673 (Mills, et al. , 1966): 



"We have seen nothing like this river that we enter, 

 as regards to its fertility of soil, its prairies and 

 woods; its cattle, elk, deer, wildcats, bustards, swans, 

 ducks, par roquets, and even beaver." 



When Illinois was a territory, the Illinois River Valley was con- 

 sidered one of the most important sources of furs in the Northwest part 

 of the United States (Starrett, 1972). During the early part of this 

 century, the Illinois River ranked as a major inland commercial fishery. 

 The economic importance of fish and wildlife to river towns was evi- 

 denced by the regular transport of live fish to Chicago, Boston, and 

 New York, and by a train scheduled especially to bring sportsmen into 

 the area. Many people made a living outfitting and guiding fishermen 

 and duck hunters. 



The previously abundant wildlife in the Illinois Valley has also 

 contributed much to the development of local folklore of the Havana area. 

 President Benjamin Harrison came there several times to hunt duck. 

 Fishing was so good that the railroad put on the Fisherman's Special, a 

 regularly scheduled train that ran between Springfield and Havana. The 

 gangster Al Capone belonged to the gun club at Patterson's Bay and shot 

 duck there. 



From 1874 to 1927, the Illinois State Laboratory of Natural History 

 and its successor, the State Natural History Survey, intensively studied 

 the resources of the Illinois River and its bottomland lakes 

 (Richardson, 1928) . Fish population surveys have been conducted reg- 

 ularly from the 1940 's to the present. The Natural History Survey 

 therefore welcomed the opportunity to contribute to an environmental 



