Rowin’ on the River

The Kankakee Rowing Club’s boathouse was located at the mouth of Squaw Creek, lshown at lower left on this map. Most of the creek is covered over—only the short stretch between Eagle Street and the Kankakee River is visible.

By Jack Klasey

November 1, 2025

Throughout local history—beginning with the canoes of explorers and Indians, through the excursion steamers of the late 1800s, to the roaring racers on the Labor Day regattas, and the summer fleet of motorboats, pontoons, kayaks, and jet skis that ply the placid waters of the Kankakee River—watercraft have been a common sight.

For a brief period in the late 1800s, a distinctly different type of boat, the “racing shell,” was a graceful addition to the local river scene. The rare type of vessel was discovered and described by Harold Simmons, whose “Up ‘til Now” local history column appeared in the Kankakee Daily Journal during the 1950s and 1960s.

The existence of the “sleek, sharp-nosed racing shells” was “brought to light only by chance,” explained Simmons in his September 26, 1954, column. “A search for other material was being made in the early issues of the Kankakee Gazette,” he noted, when he encountered a story in the Gazette’s September 4, 1879, issue:

“The attempt to hold a meeting of the boat club Tuesday evening was a fizzle,” reported the Gazette. “The city hall was kept open for an hour, but less than a half-dozen assembled so another attempt will have to be made, and unless the boys are a little more enthusiastic over the next meeting than they were over Tuesday night’s failure, the boating interest will have to be considered below par.”

Commented Simmons, “There must have been considerable missionary work done” following the lackluster September meeting. He quoted a story that appeared in the Gazette’s October 2 edition: “The Boat Club meeting last Friday night … was attended by nearly all the members. The name of the ‘Kankakee Rowing Club’ was chosen and a constitution and by-laws were adopted. The election of officers resulted in the following choices: president, Col. H.C. Clarke; vice-president, Thomas G. McCullough Jr.; secretary and treasurer, Duff Sherman; captain, Bird Hanna; lieutenant, Clarence Holt; Board of Admission, Ped Durham, Arthur Swannell, and Fred Dale.”

Simmons analyzed the major progress made by the club in less than a month: “If one were to read between the lines,” he wrote, “it would be easily understood why the rowing club received a substantial boost toward becoming a success between Sept. 4 and Oct. 2. The fact that Col. Haswell C. Clarke became interested was enough to see that the club was well on its way. [Clarke, at age 37, was a prominent local businessman, serving as cashier of Kankakee’s First National Bank.] Col. Clarke was one of the most popular men in the city and being elected to the presidency of the club assured its success. The other officers of the club were the sons of prominent citizens of Kankakee and were probably in their twenties.”

On the same day the club chose its officers and name, its first racing shell—described as a “practice boat”— was delivered to the Illinois Central Freighthouse in Kankakee. “The boat is 36 inches wide, 30 feet long, and made of yellow pine finished with black walnut. It was built by Bagley of Chicago, and is a fine piece of work,” reported the Gazette. “It is provided with 12-foot spoon oars, and both sliding and stationary seats. It holds four men and a coxswain, and we should judge it is just the thing the boys need. Saturday morning, the boys carried the boat from the freighthouse to the river and took a little spin and were very much pleased with the way she went through the water.”

A Gazette story on October 9 informed readers that, “Every morning and evening, the ‘coming champions’ may be seen skimming over the water in their new boat. They have now replaced the stationary seats with sliding ones and the increased speed of the boat is very perceptible.”

On October 30, the newspaper reported that the club had placed the boat in storage for the winter months, and was planning a “series of entertainments” to raise money for construction of a boathouse, a new racing shell, and other equipment. On January 26, 1880, the club presented a comic opera, “The Royal Banquet,” selling tickets at 35 and 50 cents. “The first rendition of this bright little opera was not the success its friends hoped for it…All in all, however, the criticism was very kindly and the members of the Rowing Club came forth with thanks to those who had made the production possible.”

The club’s fundraising efforts over the winter were apparently successful, since the Gazette noted on May 6, 1880, “Next week, the rowing club expects to commence work on the new club- house. It will be 20x60 feet in size, and will cost about $350. It will be located at the mouth of Squaw Creek.”

Simmons explained that Squaw Creek “entered the Kankakee River at a point between Harrison and Chicago Avenues at the rear [eastern boundary] of the half-block then owned by the club president, Col. Haswell C. Clarke.” The small creek, covered over for most of its length, meanders across the Upper Riverview neighborhood. Today, as in the late 1800s, the waterway is visible only in the short stretch between Eagle Street and the Kankakee River.

In late May, the newspaper reported that the club had adopted navy blue and white as its colors, and members were being fitted for uniforms. The uniforms would consist of “blue shirt, blue knee breeches, and white stockings.”

A major milestone for the rowing club was the arrival of its first shell designed for actual racing. “The rowing club received its new four-oared shell last week, and it is as pretty a piece of the boatbuilder’s art as ever has been turned out,” the Gazette noted on September 16, 1880. “It is 41 feet long, 20 inches wide, and weighs 75 pounds. The boat is a counterpart of the one used by the Farraguts of Chicago, the amateur champions of the Mississippi Valley, and cost the club $300. This organization has been in existence only a year and is composed of only 15 members, but they have over $800 worth of property, including a good boathouse and two first-class boats. The Kankakee Rowing Club is a decided success.”

Club activities for the following year [1881] were periodically reported upon by the Gazette. A typical report was published on June 23: “The boat club boys may frequently be seen on the river these summer evenings in their 40-foot shell, with a crew of four dressed in decidedly light but appropriate costumes. They are getting accustomed to their frail craft and have acquired a pretty steady stroke … By next summer, the Kankakee Rowing Association ought to be represented in the annual regatta of the Mississippi Valley Association.”

Whether the Kankakee Rowing Club was represented in the 1882 regatta, and how long the club remained in existence, unfortunately, must remain a mystery. Simmons explained: “No further mention is made of the activities of the club in the file of the Gazette for 1881 in the museum of the Kankakee County Historical Society. The volumes for 1882-83-84 are missing, and nothing appears in the records of 1885-86.”

Jack Klasey is a former Journal reporter and a retired publishing executive. He can be contacted at jwklasey@comcast.net.