From Wet Lands to Dry Spaces (and Back Again): Archaeological Perspectives on the Use, Drainage, and Restoration of the Kankakee Wetlands, USA

The Kankakee River in the midcontinent of the United States was once home to one of the largest wetlands in the world, the Grand Kankakee Marsh, as well as countless smaller wetlands along its margins. Beginning in the mid nineteenth century, over 200,000 ha of the Marsh was drained along with an untold number of smaller wetlands. Yet, while wetlands were devalued in the nineteenth century, these ecosystems were prized hunting, plant collection, and horticultural grounds prior to Euro-American settlement, and are increasingly recognized for their ecosystem services today. This paper investigates the Kankakee wetlands and their use by late precolonial Indigenous communities using data compiled from a large, public archaeological project conducted at an active restoration site, Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, in Illinois. Findings provide key floral and faunal reference data, highlight the land use strategies of this seventeenth century Native American agricultural community, and indicate increased precipitation trends favourable to the success of wetland restoration.