Ira M. Fry was born in Hebron, Indiana in 1906, was a star on the high school basketball team (which sported a 18-2 record during his senior year), was a witness and participant during the important years when the Kankakee’s historic wetlands were drained and forever changed the Kankakee Marsh. From a mysterious, untamed country the Kankakee River Basin has been transformed into a pastoral, agricultural one.

A visit with Ira in late fall of 2002 produced an armload of original writings and photo albums. His generosity in entrusting these treasured documents to the Kankakee Valley Historical Society resulted in this second volume of “The Kankakee River.” As in the first volume, you will find Ira’s stories to be honest reminiscences tempered with his wonderful wit.