Human Interaction

Man came into the area and transformed it for the best. They turned old trails into major routes through the area. They were able to get from one place to another much quicker because of this. Because of the trails they built up cities. The area due to the lake became a transportation hub.The also built mills blacksmith shops and other needed shops for the people in these towns.They used the area to farm. The trains came into the area and boosted population and built up more towns. They used the lake for fishing. There was 3 canals built in the area. They were to help ships and settlers move across they area. They were the Illinois and Michigan, the Chicago Sanitary and Ship, and Cal sag channel. The only one in Indina was The Indiana Harbor Ship Canal.There were damns built on lakes around the area to help certain towns get water. Also areas built ditches like Hart ditch in Dyer for drainage. They also built plent of ports on the lake to get products by ship into the area.
Well i grew up in Hessville since i was 5. The tolleston shore line runs through most of Hessville. Gibson station was a major passenger station for the railroads. David and Elisabeth Gibson built a house near the station in 1845. In 1850 Joeseph and Mary Hess opened a bakery and restaurant near that station. Gibson opened a post office in 1857 and until 1873 they got their mail from Gibson because Hammond opened their post office. The town was founded in in 1852 when  Michigan central line was completed to Chicago and Gibsons business declined. The Hess' moved south and opened a store and started the town on the shoreline. Hessville was built up due to trains and finally got its own line until 1882. It got two more rail lines in 1906. when 1911 rolled around the City of Hammond wanted to annex the town. Citizens held an election on the subject in 1918 and it passed with 78 votes for and only 2 against. Hessville became a part of Hammond in 1923.
The area is rich in materials which is why people moved here.The area was very rich with trees. First settlers came in and made a living off of cutting down the trees. It helped make room for the houses and towns they were to build. The people who moved along the calumet shoreline had a lot of work to do they had to remove sand to be able to build their houses. The sand that was moved was used as fill in local marshes. These sand ridges posed a huge problem. They were also cut through to make trails/roads in the area. That sand was then moved to the low wetlands to raise the railroads.there was and enormous amount of sand moved out and around the area. Another thing the area had an abundance was clay. Many towns in the area found this out quickly and used it to their advantage. They used this clay to make bricks that went into making houses around the area.
Man has contaminated the area over the years. Water has been poised and areas just flat out reuined. The mills have played a vital role in this by polluting water and air along with land. Many corporations in the area have polluted the land so bad that it cant be used for many years. Because of contamination to the land, it seapted into the water supply and killed and harmed many people. They have cracked down on the pollution in the area over the years. The air has gotten bad becuase of BP Amaco, all the steel mills and all the traffic of the area. There have been many companies that would dump illegally or even pollute the ground.
                Schoon, K. J. (2003). Calumet beginnings. Bloomington,In: Indiana Univery Press.

http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/North_America/United_States_of_America/Indiana/Hammond-782076/Things_To_Do-Hammond-TG-C-1.html

                                                 The Little Red School House in Hessville

http://illinois.sierraclub.org/calumet/park/index.html
A Map of the Area.