Wabash River

Wabash River
Map of the Wabash River watershed with the Wabash River highlighted.
Country	US
Basin features
Main source	Near Fort Recovery in Mercer County, Ohio
River mouth	Ohio River near Shawneetown, Illinois
Basin size	39,950 sq mi (103,500 km2)
Physical characteristics
Length	503 mi (810 km)
Discharge	Average rate: 35,350 cu ft/s (1,001 m3/s)

The Wabash River /ˈwɔːbæʃ/ (French: Ouabache) is a 503-mile-long (810 km)river in the Midwestern United States that flows southwest from near the Indiana border in northwest Ohio, across northern and central Indiana to southern Illinois, where it forms the Illinois-Indiana border before draining into the Ohio River, of which it is the largest northern tributary. From the dam near Huntington, Indiana, to its terminus at the Ohio River, the Wabash flows freely for 411 miles (661 km). Its watershed drains most of Indiana.

The Wabash is the state river of Indiana, and subject of the state song "On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away" by Paul Dresser. Two counties (in Indiana and Illinois), in Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio; one Illinois precinct, one city, one town, two colleges, one high school, one canal, one former class I railroad, several and are all named for the river itself while four US Navy warships are either named for the river or the numerous battles that took place on or near it.