2019 Map of Kouts

About this map

Kouts serves as the central hub of this agricultural landscape in southern Porter County, where a dense network of drainage channels illustrates the extensive reclamation of the Kankakee Marsh. The Kankakee River defines the southern boundary, its course straightened and managed by an intricate system of waterways including Pleasant Township Ditch, Sandy Hook Ditch, and Cobb Ditch. These engineered features converted the once-vast wetlands into productive farmland, a transformation reflected in the grid of county roads and dispersed rural settlements like Aylesworth and Five Points Corner. For those tracing local heritage, several small burial grounds are documented, including Merriman Cem to the northwest and the Hopewell Mennonite Cem just west of the Kouts town center. The landscape remains defined by its hydraulic history, with numerous named ditches like Ahlgrim Ditch and Cook Ditch continuing to regulate the low-lying terrain.