An Enduring Tribute to Indiana’s Wabash River

Paul Dresser’s ballad ‘On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away’ become the official state song in 1913.

Cutoff-River, a branch of the Wabash River, 1840, by Karl Bodmer. The ballad “On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away” is both a love song to the river and the growing pains of songwriter Paul Dresser's youth. Public Domain

Oh, the moonlight’s fair tonight along the Wabash; From the fields there comes the breath of new-mown hay, Through the sycamores the candlelights are gleaming, On the banks of the Wabash, far away.

The state of Indiana is widely considered to be an American basketball epicenter, where the Hoosiers play to dedicated crowds at Indiana University’s Bloomington campus. The 1986 film “Hoosiers” honored the state’s nickname. It also tells the story of the Hickory Huskers, a high school basketball team that wins a surprise state championship. The Academy Award-nominated film is based on the real-life story of the 1954 Milan High School Indians.

The Hoosier State is also sometimes referred to as the “Crossroads of America” in its state motto due to its history as a central location for trade and manufacturing.