BY KAT BRAZ PHOTOS PROVIDED
s there d l e fi e th h, From s the candle s a b a W e ng the camor o y l s a . e t h h t ugh tonig r away o a r r f i h , a f T h . s ’s y t ba ha ser oonligh the Wa mown f m o w e e s h ul Dres t k n a , n f P o a y b b Oh h ” at he way the bre g, On t n h, Far A s i s e a m b m a a o e c W re gl s of the lights a e Bank h
—“On t
On the banks of the Wabash River enhancement key to region’s quality of life 74 GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE
Hoosier Paul Dresser immortalized the Wabash River in his 1897
Tin Pan Alley tune “On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away.” The ballad’s lyrics reminisce about life along the river near Dresser’s childhood home in Terre Haute. It was the best-selling song of its day, and the Indiana General Assembly adopted it as the official state song in 1913. It’s a fitting tie-in for the Mighty Wabash, a tributary that’s shaped not only Indiana’s history, but the nation’s history as well.
GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE 75
