PIONEER HUNTERS OF THE KANKIAKEE 

 Samuel Irvin, a trapper, came floating down the 

 river in a skiii. This v/as the first water craft I 

 had ever seen. r\r. Irvin landed his boat and 

 he and father, being old friends, sat on the bank 

 in the shade talking whilst I was fishing part of 

 the time and climbing swamp trees until I got 

 tired. Finally I made knov/n my desire to ride 

 in one of those things— the boat. Father told 

 me to get in and sit down in the bottom of the 

 boat. I did and then he got into the boat and 

 shoved it out into the stream. We went down 

 around the bend and back to where we started, 

 1 have often thought of sitting in the bottom of 

 the boat and grasping the sides so tight that I 

 dented the sides of the boat with my fingers to 

 keep from falling out v/hen there was no danger 

 of falling out unless the boat upset. This was 

 my first fishi.ng trip to the Kankakee River and 

 my first boat ride. Near this same place fifty 

 years later leather ran me on my last duck hunt- 

 ing trip on the Kankakee. He v/as then over 

 four-score years of age, yet he could handle a 



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