Kankakee is dedicated to providing quality hunting and fishing opportunities while maintaining 4,095 acres, which includes open water, marshes, riparian timber, periodically flooded crop fields and 11 miles of river.
The entire area is situated in what was the Kankakee Grand Marsh, which once covered hundreds of thousands of acres. Most of the marsh was drained in the late 1800s for agricultural use.
In 1927, the state purchased 2,312 acres of the remaining marsh for a Civilian Conservation Corps camp, housing as many as 400 men. The area later became established as a game preserve, and during the 50s, waterfowl management was undertaken by the state. In 1982, another 1,016 acres were added and in 1992 an additional 767 acres.