﻿MUSSEL 
  RESOUKCES 
  OF 
  THE 
  ILLINOIS 
  RIVER. 
  13 
  

  

  PRINCIPAL 
  MUSSEL 
  BEDS. 
  

  

  For 
  convenience 
  in 
  dealing 
  with 
  the 
  mussel 
  fauna 
  of 
  the 
  Illinois, 
  

   the 
  river 
  may 
  be 
  divided 
  into 
  three 
  sections 
  : 
  

  

  1. 
  The 
  upper 
  river, 
  from 
  the 
  origin 
  to 
  Chillicothe, 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  93 
  

   miles, 
  

  

  2. 
  Peoria 
  Lake, 
  from 
  Chillicothe 
  to 
  Peoria, 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  20 
  miles. 
  

  

  3. 
  The 
  lower 
  river, 
  from 
  Peoria 
  to 
  Grafton, 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  160 
  miles. 
  

   Upper 
  river. 
  — 
  From 
  its 
  origin 
  to 
  Utica, 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  about 
  43 
  

  

  miles, 
  the 
  river 
  flows 
  over 
  a 
  sandstone 
  bed 
  covered 
  with 
  large 
  blocks 
  

   of 
  sandstone 
  and 
  bowlders. 
  The 
  water 
  has 
  a 
  very 
  decided 
  odor, 
  

   though 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  stated 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  low 
  water 
  of 
  summer, 
  before 
  

   the 
  opening 
  of 
  the 
  drainage 
  canal, 
  the 
  odor 
  was 
  more 
  pronounced 
  

   and 
  disagreeable 
  than 
  at 
  present. 
  The 
  rocks 
  at 
  the 
  water's 
  edge 
  are 
  

   covered 
  with 
  a 
  shmy 
  ooze 
  having 
  the 
  same 
  odor 
  as 
  the 
  water. 
  This 
  

   portion 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  is 
  more 
  directly 
  affected 
  by 
  the 
  drainage 
  canal 
  

   than 
  are 
  the 
  lower 
  stretches. 
  In 
  the 
  process 
  of 
  decomposition 
  the 
  

   organic 
  matter 
  of 
  the 
  sewage 
  abstracts 
  the 
  dissolved 
  oxygen 
  of 
  the 
  

   water 
  and 
  renders 
  it 
  unfit 
  for 
  aquatic 
  life. 
  It 
  is 
  practically 
  destitute 
  

   of 
  mussels 
  and 
  forms 
  an 
  impassable 
  barrier 
  for 
  fish, 
  at 
  least 
  during 
  

   the 
  summer 
  months. 
  

  

  From 
  Utica 
  to 
  Chillicothe, 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  50 
  miles, 
  the 
  shells 
  are 
  

   rather 
  scattering 
  and 
  but 
  little 
  work 
  is 
  carried 
  on. 
  Occasional 
  camps 
  

   have 
  been 
  located 
  at 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  points 
  along 
  this 
  stretch, 
  but 
  the 
  

   output 
  was 
  small. 
  The 
  commercial 
  shells 
  are 
  mostly 
  the 
  three-ridge 
  

   type, 
  washboards, 
  warty-backs, 
  and 
  muckets. 
  

  

  At 
  La 
  Salle 
  the 
  river 
  is 
  about 
  a 
  mile 
  from 
  the 
  city. 
  The 
  right 
  bank 
  

   is 
  low 
  and 
  inclmed 
  to 
  be 
  swampy; 
  the 
  left 
  bank 
  opposite 
  the 
  bridge 
  

   is 
  a 
  fairly 
  high 
  range 
  of 
  drift 
  material. 
  The 
  shore 
  line 
  on 
  both 
  sides 
  

   is 
  composed 
  of 
  mud 
  with 
  patches 
  of 
  sand 
  and 
  gravel. 
  A 
  peculiar 
  

   slimy, 
  tanky 
  odor 
  is 
  noticeable 
  at 
  this 
  point. 
  No 
  musseling 
  is 
  done, 
  

   although 
  a 
  young 
  man 
  stated 
  that 
  last 
  year 
  he 
  had 
  done 
  some 
  pearling. 
  

   According 
  to 
  his 
  report, 
  both 
  the 
  shells 
  and 
  pearls 
  were 
  very 
  scarce. 
  

  

  At 
  Hennepin 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  fairly 
  good 
  mussel 
  bed 
  ; 
  at 
  Henry 
  there 
  are 
  

   two, 
  one 
  above 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  below 
  the 
  dam; 
  there 
  is 
  also 
  a 
  small 
  bed 
  

   on 
  the 
  right 
  bank 
  a 
  quarter 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  below 
  the 
  dam, 
  but 
  no 
  shelling 
  

   was 
  being 
  done 
  on 
  this 
  bed. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  table 
  represents 
  the 
  percentages 
  of 
  the 
  commercial 
  

   shells 
  from 
  a 
  3-ton 
  pile 
  at 
  Henry: 
  

  

  Per 
  cent. 
  

  

  Blue 
  point 
  40 
  

  

  Mucket 
  20 
  

  

  Washboard 
  15 
  

  

  Three-ridge 
  10 
  

  

  Warty 
  -back 
  5 
  

  

  Pig-toe 
  5 
  

  

  All 
  others 
  5 
  

  

  