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Starke County Surveyor's Office, Knox, IN (2026)

11/01/2026

Mikki Sinn is the winner of our photo contest! Thank you to everyone who participated!

10/30/2026

FRIDAY'S DRAINAGE DESTINATION

EAGLE CREEK — A WATERWAY WITH MORE THAN 120 YEARS OF HISTORY!

Washington Township | Starke County, Indiana
Established in 1906 as the Rosetta Walker Drain. Also known as Walker Ditch and Eagle Creek

Did you know that an early drainage project helped shrink a Starke County lake that once covered approximately 100 acres?

This week's Friday's Drainage Destination takes us to Eagle Creek, where the history includes pioneer settlers, a disappearing lake, an $11,000 drainage project, and some fascinating documents discovered in the Starke County Surveyor's Office!

THE EARLY DAYS OF EAGLE LAKE

According to A Standard History of Starke County, Indiana (1915), George M. Osborn and his family settled near Eagle Lake in June 1840, long before Starke County was officially organized in 1850.

At that time, the area was largely wilderness, with forests, marshes, wetlands, and very few settlers. Roads, churches, and schools had yet to be established nearby.

The Osborn family reportedly named Eagle Lake because of the many eagles nesting along its shores.

Imagine what that landscape must have looked like nearly 200 years ago!

THE LAKE THAT SHRANK

Historical accounts describe Eagle Lake as originally covering approximately 100 acres, with Eagle Creek serving as its natural outlet toward the Yellow River.

As farming expanded, drainage improvements were undertaken to make the surrounding wet ground more productive.

According to the 1915 history, construction of Walker Ditch crossed Eagle Lake from east to west and reduced the lake's surface area by nearly half!

The historian even predicted that the shallow lake might eventually disappear.

It's amazing to think how much our county's landscape has changed because of drainage improvements!

THE ROSETTA WALKER DRAIN — ESTABLISHED IN 1906

Records preserved in the Starke County Surveyor's Office identify Eagle Creek as originally established in 1906 under the name Rosetta Walker Drain.

The 1915 county history describes the ditch as extending from near Starke County's eastern boundary westward through Washington Township to the Yellow River, approximately one mile east of Knox.

The reported cost of the drainage project was nearly $11,000, a significant investment at the time.

By 1915, Starke County reportedly had approximately 200 miles of dredged ditches, demonstrating just how important drainage had become to the county's agricultural development.

HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS REVEAL AN INTERESTING STORY!

While researching Eagle Creek, I located several documents in our historical drainage files that I am sharing with this post.

December 3, 1940: A document filed in Starke Circuit Court describes Eagle Creek's route to the Yellow River and references an amendment to follow the old creek channel near Section 13.

Starke Circuit Court Cause No. 15377: An engineer's report documents a petition by George Kostial, Shelby Thomas, and others to clean out and repair the Rosetta Walker Drain.

February 11, 1949: Knox attorney Oscar B. Smith wrote to Engineer Major McFall concerning Walker Ditch. After reviewing the original proceedings, Smith noted changes to the ditch's route and stated that he could not locate authorization for the contractor to cross the highway twice.

Imagine! More than 40 years after the drain was established, questions about its route were still being examined.

These records are a wonderful example of why preserving our county's historical drainage documents is so important.

THE EAGLE CREEK COMMUNITY

Eagle Creek was also the name associated with a small rural community near 700 East and 25 North.

A historical account recalls Eagle Creek School, Eagle Creek Church, and Eagle Creek Cemetery, also known as Lerch or Lake Cemetery.

The former school building was reportedly later used as a Ukrainian church.

The Starke County Public Library's historical collection even includes a photograph identified as Finch or Eagle Creek School from 1891, fifteen years before the drain's establishment!

WHY THIS HISTORY MATTERS

The drainage systems established by earlier generations helped shape Starke County's agricultural landscape, and maintaining those waterways remains important today.

Through Friday's Drainage Destination, our office is working to preserve and share the history of our regulated drains while also visiting the featured waterways, taking current photographs, inspecting conditions, and identifying potential maintenance needs.

Every historical file we open has the potential to reveal another piece of Starke County's story.

Sometimes the most interesting history isn't found in a museum. Sometimes it's found in the ditches we drive across every day!

HELP US PRESERVE THE HISTORY!

Do you have old photographs, maps, family stories, or information about Eagle Creek, Eagle Lake, Rosetta Walker, or the old Eagle Creek School?

We would love to hear from you!

Until next Friday, keep an eye out for another Drainage Destination!

Gwen Rentz
Starke County Surveyor

10/23/2026

FRIDAY'S DRAINAGE DESTINATION!

A Look Back at Mylius Ditch & Bass Ditch — Over 130 Years of Drainage History!

Happy Friday from the Starke County Surveyor's Office!

This week's Friday's Drainage Destination takes us to the far southwestern corner of Railroad Township, where we are featuring a drainage system with a fascinating history dating back to the 1800s!

Our spotlight this week is on Mylius Ditch, also known as Bass Ditch, a regulated drainage system with historical connections to both Starke and Jasper Counties and the Kankakee River.

What makes this week's feature especially interesting is that we located original historical documents in the Surveyor's Office dating back to 1898 and 1915, giving us a glimpse into how drainage improvements were planned and maintained more than a century ago.

TWO NAMES, TWO ESTABLISHMENT DATES!

According to our office records:

Mylius Ditch — Established in 1892

Bass Ditch — Established in 1915

Location: Railroad Township, Sections 19, 30 and 31, in southwestern Starke County.

An important detail about this drainage system is that Mylius/Bass Ditch is a county regulated drain; however, it is not currently assessed.

This means that although the ditch remains classified as a regulated drain, there is no active drainage assessment being collected from benefited landowners for its maintenance.

Being a regulated drain and having an active maintenance assessment are two different things. A drain can remain under drainage jurisdiction even when it does not have an active assessment.

These two drainage histories are connected, but they began 23 years apart!

Mylius Ditch was established during a time when much of northern Indiana was still being transformed from wetlands and marshes into farmland through the construction of drainage systems.

By 1915, additional drainage improvements were being proposed to help drain wet and overflowed lands, improve public highways, and make more property suitable for agricultural use.

A DISCOVERY FROM JANUARY 1898!

One of the historical documents we located is an original assessment map titled:

"Land Assessed for the Repairing of Mylius Ditch in Railroad Township."

The map was prepared in January 1898 by Howard M. Chapel, Starke County Surveyor.

Think about that for a moment!

More than 128 years ago, a Starke County Surveyor was documenting drainage maintenance and the properties associated with Mylius Ditch.

The map also contains an important historical reference:

Drainage Record No. 3, Pages 90–99

This tells us where additional historical information about the repair assessments may be found in the county's drainage records.

Interestingly, while the historical records show that properties were assessed for repairs to Mylius Ditch in 1898, the ditch does not have an active drainage assessment today.

As the current Starke County Surveyor, I find these old documents especially interesting. They remind us that the work our office performs today has been carried out by generations of surveyors before us.

1915 — CARL BASS PETITIONS FOR A DRAIN!

Another document we located takes us back to January 1915.

The original court document is titled:

"Petition of Carl Bass, et al., for a Drain in Starke and Jasper Counties in the State of Indiana."

This petition was filed in the Starke Circuit Court and requested the construction of an open dredged ditch.

The proposed drainage route began in Section 31 of Railroad Township and traveled north before eventually extending into Jasper County.

Here's where the history becomes particularly interesting!

The petition specifically references following portions of the "old Mylius Ditch."

That tells us Mylius Ditch was already an established part of the drainage landscape when Carl Bass and other petitioners sought additional drainage improvements in 1915.

The proposed route eventually reached the Kankakee River, which was identified as the outlet for the drainage project.

While the petition documents the proposed route, additional court records would be needed to confirm whether every portion was constructed exactly as originally proposed.

WHY WERE THESE DITCHES SO IMPORTANT?

The 1915 petition provides an interesting explanation of why these drainage improvements were being requested.

The petitioners believed the proposed drain would:

Drain wet and overflowed lands.

Reclaim land and make it suitable for cultivation.

Benefit public highways.

Improve public health.

Provide benefits to surrounding properties that would exceed the cost of constructing the drain.

During the late 1800s and early 1900s, drainage improvements played a major role in shaping the agricultural landscape of Starke County.

Many of the regulated drains we maintain today were originally established during that period.

BRINGING HISTORY AND TODAY TOGETHER!

One of the reasons I started Friday's Drainage Destination was to bring attention to the history of Starke County's regulated drains while also giving our office an opportunity to visit and inspect a different ditch each week.

Each spotlight allows us to:

Learn about the history of a regulated drain.

Take current photographs and document existing conditions.

Evaluate the ditch for potential maintenance needs.

Better understand the drainage systems that serve our county.

Share historical documents that might otherwise remain tucked away in the Surveyor's Office files.

Even though Mylius/Bass Ditch is not currently assessed, it is still important to recognize its history and its status as a county regulated drain.

These drainage systems are more than just ditches running through fields. They are part of our county's history, and many have been serving surrounding properties for well over a century.

HELP US UNCOVER MORE HISTORY!

Do you have family connections to the Mylius or Bass families?

Do you remember hearing stories about these ditches, early drainage projects, or the farming history of southwestern Railroad Township?

Perhaps your family has old photographs, maps, newspaper clippings, or stories that could help us learn more.

I would love to hear from you!

After all, some of the most interesting pieces of local history are preserved through the stories passed down from one generation to the next.

From 1892 to 2026 — that's 134 years of Mylius Ditch history!

Thank you for following along with another edition of Friday's Drainage Destination!

Submitted By: Gwen Rentz
Starke County Surveyor's Office

10/16/2026

Big Eastern Ditch

The Big Eastern is located in Western California Township, or Township 32 North, Range 2 West 2nd Principal Meridian if you’re comfortable using the Public Land Survey System. Big Eastern was established on June 6th 1878 by the Starke County Circuit Court and lies in what today is called the Craigmile Ditch-Kline Arm Watershed. The reason we chose to feature this ditch this week is that it was an interesting one as we go through and add all the regulated ditches to GIS so it will give you a little behind the scenes of that process.

So what makes it interesting? As far as Starke County ditches go it’s fairly unremarkable if you drive by on SR 10 or 625 S between 50 E and 100 E. But when you look at the original legal description shown below, you’ll see that the course of the ditch as originally dug is far longer and straighter stretching all the way down to the middle of Section 30 south of 700 S. Somewhere in our old handwritten books contain the decisions that were made that changed its course and length.

The attached images start with a portion of an 1835 plat map from the founding of the county showing the area that would later contain the Big Eastern. Additional images include a clip from the Edward’s 1898 plat map showing the Big Eastern as dug and you can compare that to our recreation on the modern-day GIS with another image by looking at the pink arrowheads and it’s overlaid over the current track which is shown closer in an attached image. Another image is a 1966 transcription of the original hand-written legal description. Lastly, there is an image showing the Big Eastern in cyan within its watershed.

Submitted by: David Sinn, Deputy Surveyor

10/09/2026

The Story Behind the Branch That Still Carries His Name

This week’s Friday’s Drainage Destination takes us to Williams Branch in North Bend Township, where researching one of our regulated drains led us to much more than an old drainage map.

It led us back more than a century to a local farmer whose efforts helped shape the drainage system and the surrounding community.

Today, Williams Branch is part of the House Watershed. Surveyor’s Office records also connect the branch with the former name Varnholz Lane.

So who was the man behind the name, and what can the historical records tell us about this branch and the people who lived along it?

A Farmer Who Helped Shape His Community

While researching the branch, we located a biography in the 1915 History of Starke County, preserved by the Starke County Public Library System.

The county history credits Walter F. Williams with petitioning for and securing a drainage improvement that crossed his farm and provided drainage for a substantial amount of surrounding land.

But his involvement in local improvements extended beyond drainage. He was also the chief petitioner for a gravel road near his home farm, helped secure the first schoolhouse in District No. 9, and served as a school director for nine years.

The biography even offers a glimpse of his farm, describing maple and buckeye trees he planted, along with an orchard he established himself.

These details give us a picture of a farmer who took an active interest in improvements that benefited not only his own property, but also the surrounding community.

What the Surveyor’s Office Records Tell Us

The historical records preserved in the Starke County Surveyor’s Office provide another piece of the story.

Surviving drainage assessment records identify Williams in connection with the drainage proceeding and reference Starke Circuit Court Order Book P, pages 13–16, 150 and 255.

The court appointed Sylvester Bertram to oversee construction and collect assessments according to law.

The assessment records also preserve the names of numerous North Bend Township property owners connected with the project, including members of the Williams, Varnholz, Himes, Geiselman, Turnbull, Hall, Rhodes, Ballard, Osborn, Wheeler, Wallace, Dodge, Gentry and other families.

Together, these records offer a glimpse into the farms, families and property ownership that made up this part of North Bend Township more than a century ago.

A Hand-Drawn Map More Than a Century Old

One of my favorite pieces in the Williams Branch file is the original hand-drawn drainage map preserved in the Surveyor’s Office.

The drainage route is drawn in red as it crosses the affected properties. Names including Williams, Varnholz, Himes, Geiselman, Wheeler, Wallace, Dodge and Osborn appear directly on the map.

At the southern end, the route appears to connect with a drain labeled Hampton Ditch.

Looking at this map today is almost like looking through a window into North Bend Township’s past. It allows us to see the drainage route in relation to the farms and landowners of that time.

From Historical Records to Modern Maintenance

Williams Branch is more than an interesting piece of Starke County history. It remains an active part of our regulated drainage system today.

In April 2024, approximately 9,880 feet of the branch underwent a debrushing and dredging project at a total cost of $18,569.

Removing brush and accumulated material helps maintain the channel and preserve the function of the drainage system. However, maintenance doesn't end when a project is completed. Vegetation returns, sediment accumulates, trees fall, and conditions along a regulated drain continue to change.

That’s why continued inspection and planning are important.

As part of our maintenance planning for the coming year, Williams Branch is being added to the regulated-drain spray list for 2027. This will allow us to manage unwanted vegetation and help protect the work and investment already made in the branch.

Bringing the Past and Present Together

This is exactly what we hoped to accomplish when we started Friday’s Drainage Destination.

Each week, we’re doing more than pulling an old file and sharing its history. Spotlighting a different regulated drain gives the Starke County Surveyor’s Office an opportunity to inspect the featured drain, take current photographs, document its condition, identify developing maintenance concerns, and plan for future needs.

If your family has a connection to the Williams, Varnholz or any of the other families appearing in these early records, we’d love to hear from you.

We’d also love to see old photographs, maps, deeds or farm records—or hear memories from anyone who knows more about Williams Branch or Varnholz Lane.

Sometimes the next piece of Starke County history isn’t sitting in a government record at all. It may still be tucked away in an old family photo album, a deed box, a collection of farm records—or simply in someone’s memory.

Starke County Surveyor’s Office....Preserving the records of yesterday while maintaining the drainage systems of today.

10/04/2026

Today at the Starke County Historical Society Cemetery Walk, there was a reenactment of John B. Jain, a man who played an interesting role in Starke County’s history.

The following is the script from his reenactment. If you begin reading about halfway through, you’ll see why I took a particular interest in his story. 😉

John B. Jain’s work helped establish the Jain Ditch, which was first established in 1897 and eventually became a significant drainage project in Oregon Township.

As the Starke County Surveyor, I love discovering these connections between our county’s history and the work we still do today. It’s pretty fascinating to realize that some of the drainage systems we deal with today have roots that go back more than 100 years!

Here is the script from today’s reenactment of John B. Jain:

How do you do? I am John B. Jain, and it’s an honor to have you stop for a visit today.

Unlike some others that you will visit here, I did not move to Starke County until 1895. But I led an interesting life and did have some impact on Starke County. So…. are you prepared for an old man to chatter on a bit?

We’ll start with my early years. I was born in Switzerland, but have very limited memories, as my parents immigrated to America the year I turned two - 1847. We located in Wisconsin, and I grew to adulthood there.

During my teenage years, the United States was having disagreements. Following Lincoln’s election in 1860, things disintegrated even more, with Civil War being declared soon after. In 1862, the 33rd Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment organized at Racine. I mustered in on October 18, 1862 and served for three years, until the war ended.

We were stationed in the Western Theater, mostly with the Vicksburg Campaign. At Vicksburg, we served in the trenches during the Siege of Vicksburg under Col. Jonathan B. Moore. Once Vicksburg fell on July 4, we were ordered to the Siege of Jackson, MS. That siege did not last long once we were all there, as Johnston and his Confederates slipped out on July 16, leaving the city burning. We then transferred back to Vicksburg, where we stayed until the war ended, making sure the river stayed open to the Union troops and supply boats.

After the war ended, I decided to move to Iowa. I used the Homestead Act to acquire 160 acres near Burt, Iowa. After a few years there, I met Clara Phelps. Her family had migrated from Scotland to Canada, but during the Civil War had moved to America.

After my five years of homesteading was complete, Clara and I were wed in Buffalo Forks, Iowa. We settled in as a farming family and I became active with the local GAR. Six children blessed our union - Arthur, Bertha, Anna, Ellis, Elsie and Mary. By 1890, I was granted a pension due to health problems from my time during the war. Years passed, but we decided to move east. First we got some land in Illinois, but in 1895, we had the opportunity to buy some land here in Oregon Township, Starke County with the plans to improve the land, much as we had done in Iowa.

Well, sir, it didn’t take long to realize that the land needed to be drained to be productive farm land. (I had basically bought a swamp.) I got to work studying the Robbins Ditch drainage system, and planning a drainage system to supplement it. Through my efforts, the Jain Ditch was first established in 1897, with Valentine Awald being named the construction commissioner.

By September, 1900, construction was ready to be underway to run 10 miles, and redeem marsh land that was otherwise worthless. However, there were many protests and the ditch project was stopped in the circuit court. Another petition was filed in June, 1902. In mid-year, people who were against the ditch got the case moved and a new judge appointed. During that hearing under Judge Steis in October, many Oregon Township people attended, and the newspapers reported some 15-20 witnesses were examined. The ditch was defeated in court due to the large number of remonstrances filed. However, the next year our lawyers filed to strike out ⅔ of those remonstrances. In November, 1903, the drainage commissioners met at my home and approved the ditch. However, more remonstrances were filed off-and-on throughout 1904. Finally, in early 1905 we won in court at Plymouth. The construction commissioner for the Jain Ditch received bids in February, 1905. Contracts were awarded, with work to begin by March 15. In November, 1906 the construction manager filed the final report. It had taken several years and much work, but it was worth it.

My health had begun to decline by this time, but I was now over 60 years of age. By 1912, we sold the farm and moved to Knox, where we made our home on North Heaton Street. My wife’s health deteriorated and she died just a few years after moving. Around the time of her death, I joined the Knox Methodist Episcopal Church where she had been an active member.

About 1920, I left Knox and moved back to Hamlet, where my daughter Bertha lived, as I was aging and my health declining. I did live long enough to see the land there become “the peppermint garden of northern Indiana”. However, I died of heart disease in December, 1922. My brothers in the local Grand Army of the Republic were in charge of my funeral and escorted me to my final resting place.

10/02/2026

This Week’s Destination: CONBOY ARM

Welcome to the first Friday’s Drainage Destination, a new weekly feature from the Starke County Surveyor’s Office!

Each Friday, we’ll spotlight one of Starke County’s regulated drains and dig into the files to uncover its history, location, specifications, old maps, records, and connection to our larger drainage system.

But we aren’t just looking through old records.

Each week, our office will also visit the featured drain to inspect it, take current photographs, document its present condition, and assess whether any maintenance may be needed. This allows us to connect the history preserved in our office with what we are seeing in the field today.

For our first destination, we’re heading to Davis Township to explore the Conboy Arm.

CONBOY ARM AT A GLANCE

📅 Established: 1908
📏 Length: 1.18 miles
📍 Location: Davis Township
💧 Tributary to: Shearin Ditch
🏛️ Jurisdiction: Four-County Drainage Board

A LOOK BACK IN TIME

The Conboy Arm was established in 1908 and has been part of Starke County’s drainage system for 118 years.

While researching the historical records preserved in the Surveyor’s Office, we found documents identifying the Conboy Arm as part of the Shearin Ditch drainage system.

An old engineer’s report specifically identifies the Conboy Arm, describes its route, and documents where it enters the Shearin Ditch. The report also provides an interesting glimpse into how drainage projects were engineered at the time.

Stakes were placed at 100-foot stations, benchmarks were established, and excavation quantities were calculated along the ditch.

The specifications stated that the purpose of the work was to restore the ditches to their original condition as nearly as possible.

A $6,850 DRAINAGE PROJECT IN 1945

Among the records we uncovered was a contract dated March 30, 1945, for the cleanout of the Shearin Ditch.

The project was petitioned for by Albert Christoph and others, with Major McFall serving as engineer and surveyor.

The work was awarded to May Craig and Kenneth C. Daniels, doing business as Craig Construction Company of Sycamore, Illinois, for $6,850.

Construction was to begin within 30 days, with completion scheduled for July 30, 1945. The contract was approved by the Starke Circuit Court on April 10, 1945.

A PIECE OF DRAINAGE HISTORY

One of our favorite discoveries in these old files was a historical drainage map that clearly identifies the Conboy Arm and shows its relationship to the Shearin Ditch system.

The map also includes landmarks still familiar today, including U.S. 30, the railroad, and several county roads.

It’s fascinating to see how much of the drainage system we recognize today can be traced through records and maps created generations ago.

WHY FRIDAY’S DRAINAGE DESTINATION?

There is much more to our regulated drainage system than what you see when you drive past a ditch.

Through this weekly feature, we hope to:

📚 Preserve and share the history of our regulated drains
🗺️ Explore old maps, surveys, plans, and records
🚙 Visit and inspect the drains in the field
📸 Document their current condition with photographs
🌿 Identify potential maintenance needs
💧 Better understand how individual drains connect to the larger system
🏡 Help the public learn more about the drainage system serving Starke County

Most importantly, this project will allow us to create a past-and-present record of our drainage system by pairing historical documents and maps—some more than a century old—with photographs and observations from today.

DID YOU KNOW?

Many of the regulated drains you pass every day have been part of Starke County for generations.

They have names, histories, maps, court records, maintenance records, and stories that most people have probably never had an opportunity to see.

We have plenty more history tucked away in the Surveyor’s Office files, and we’re looking forward to bringing some of it out of those files and sharing it with you.

We hope you’ll follow along every Friday as we visit another Drainage Destination and explore Starke County’s regulated drainage system—one drain at a time.

Where will next Friday’s Drainage Destination take us? Stay tuned!

Images taken October 1, 2026