Before 1700

Before 1700 2 dated mentions

1. 1679
   The first passage, and the French century upriver

   December 1679: The first European passage of this valley in the record is La Salle's, and it is dated to the month.

2. 1679–1911
   The working river: keelboats, steamboats, the lock, and the races

   The St. Joseph–Kankakee portage, passable at all times of year over solid high ground, tied the lake river to the Kankakee and so to the Illinois country; in 1679 La Salle, with thirty men including Hennepin and Tonty, passed up the river from Lake Michigan to the head of the portage…