The Kankakee Valley Historical Society has taken the first step in restoring a historic hunting lodge erected back in 1898.

The Collier Lodge, which is located on marshy banks of the Kankakee River near Kouts, was a prime hunting site for the rich and famous during the early 1900s. The dilapidated two-story building is the area's last remaining structure from the time, and is believed to have been visited by presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Grover Cleveland and Benjamin Harrison.

On Tuesday, the society began a long process of reviving the historic building by asking the Porter County Board of Commissioners to assist it in a grant application.

The society is seeking a federal planning grant totalling $12,500. Because the regulations of the grant require the recipient to be a governmental entity, the society is asking Porter to act on its behalf and sign onto the application.

If the society receives the grant, the money will be used for research related to the renovations. This includes an analysis of current lodge conditions, costs of renovations, public uses for the building, and research regarding how the society can fund renovations and long-term maintenance.

Members of the historical society were present at the commissioners meeting to express support, saying they believed the building could be transformed into an educational site and a meeting place for Boy Scouts, the historical society and other residents.

John Hodson, landowner and historical society president, also asked commissioners to support another project.

"We're working on getting the site put onto the National Registry of Historic Places for archaeology," Hodson said. "We're looking for letters of support from elected officials."

Hodson said that if added, the site will be one of only a few dozen archaeological sites on the National Registry that are located in Indiana.

Commissioner Bob Harper told Hodson he would like to support the project and will prepare a formal letter. Harper also asked Hodson to return to the commissioners in two weeks, so the board could review the grant application. Hodson will return to the board on Oct. 2 to further discuss the project.

The Collier Lodge, located on Baum's Bridge Road, sits on land that was the site of a French trading post in the late 1600s, a Native American battle in the 1700s, and a common destination for Civil War General Lew Wallace. Today, the site is used as an archaeological dig site by a group of amateur archaeologists. Led by Mark Schurr, head of the anthropology department at the University of Notre Dame, the group has found tens of thousands of artifacts over the last few years.