Here is a Reeves who might be of interest to someone. I know nothing about him or his family....just found it accidentally. http://www.tampicohistoricalsociety.citymax.com:80/Hennepin_Canal_Photos.html November 22, 1907 1;2 BOATS NAVIGATE THE CANAL Rambler in Charge of Engineer Reeves Makes Trip Through The Feeder to Sterling The first canal boat to navigate the canal feeder arrived at “Port Tampico” the highway bridge due east of here Monday afternoon at 3:30 o’clock with a former Tampico young man, civil engineer H. E. REEVES, in charge. A large number of Tampico citizen were at the bridge and gave a mighty shout as the boat hove in sight around the curve in sight just below the railroad bridge and the dozen Tampico people who had been below this bridge and boarded the boat on the invitation of engineer REEVES waved their handkerchiefs and answered with a hurrah. The boat was the Rambler which was pushed by a large gasoline launch. The Rambler is a fifty foot inspection boat fitted up on the plan of a house boat. In the front is the office and living rooms, back of this is the berths, dining room and kitchen. Accompanying Engineer REEVES on the first trip over the canal were his wife and baby, a young lady and a crew of two men, all of whom have commodious quaarters and enjoyed the trip from Rock Island here very much. The Rambler tied up at the bridge here Monday night and proceeded to that place after an uneventful voyage at 12:25 o’clock. Engineer REEVES while here Monday night was the guest of Mr. and Mrs. Fred BREWER. Mr. REEVES’ parents formerly resided three miles east of Tampico and he spent his early manhood in this vicinity and of course had many friends who were especialy glad to welcome him as the first person to navigate the canal. Speaking about the trip from Rock Island here Mr. REEVES said that as soon as the Marion completed the voyage on the main canal and got into Rock Island, The Rambler started east on the canal until she reached the **************** the soundings showed depths varying from five and one haff feet to seven. The shallowest place was in the aquaduct over Green River where the water is only five and one half feet deep. In some places progress was slow on account of large patches of “seaweed” but altogether the trip was a very successful one and it shows that the realization of the dreams of Tampico people have come true, that boats can and will go up and down the canal and that the “big ditch” will be a feature in the world’s transportaion. ~~~~~~~~~ There is more to the article online.