page_title: Wabash River
section_title: Course
hierarchical_section_title: Wabash River / Course
caption_attribution_description: English: Surface-level view of the Forks of the Wabash: the confluence of the Wabash River (right) with the Little Wabash River (left), at the western edge of Huntington, Indiana, United States. Picture looks eastward from the riverbank under the bridge carrying State Road 9 over the Wabash. The site is part of the historic district known as the Chief Richardville House and Miami Treaty Grounds, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
context_page_description: The Wabash River is a 503-mile-long river that drains most of the state of Indiana in the United States. It flows from the headwaters in Ohio, near the Indiana border, then southwest across northern Indiana turning south near the Illinois border where the southern portion forms the Indiana-Illinois border before flowing into the Ohio River. It is the largest northern tributary of the Ohio River and third largest overall, right behind the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers. From the dam near Huntington, Indiana, to its terminus at the Ohio River, the Wabash flows freely for 411 miles. Its watershed drains most of Indiana. The Tippecanoe River, White River, Embarras River and Little Wabash River are major tributaries. The river's name comes from a Miami Indian word meaning "water over white stones".
  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.
context_section_description: The Wabash River rises 4 miles south of Fort Recovery, Ohio, very near the Darke-Mercer County line about 1.5 miles east of the Indiana-Ohio border. The water source is farmland drainage. A half mile downstream (i.e. east), at a roadside park on Ohio 49 at the Mercer County line, is a historical marker announcing the river's start.  This land is also the portage for headwaters of the Mississinewa River, Stillwater River and West Fork of the White River which lie just a few miles away.
  Between the start of the river and Fort Recovery the current is swift and the water remains very shallow and follows a poorly defined channel. The depth and low bridge clearances make the section nearly impassable by boat except in the most ideal conditions. At mile seven and mile nine, two tributaries give the river a significant boost in volume and at mile eleven the river flows past Fort Recovery. Two more tributaries add to the river's volume between Fort Recovery and Macedon at mile eighteen, making the river navigable for the remainder of its course. The river continues to flow northward passing the community of Wabash at mile twenty-three and then cutting sharply west, crossing into Indiana at mile twenty-eight.
  Upon entering Indiana, there are many sharp turns in the river that frequently lead to log jams that can block the river. Because of the many turns in the river, the state created several separate canal channels to shorten the journey between the state line and Fort Wayne as part of the Wabash and Erie Canal project during the 1830s. The subsequent abandonment of the canals allowed the river to shift courses several times resulting in the formation of many cut-offs and coves with no outlet, giving the river a maze-like quality in the first seventeen-mile (27 km) stretch as it enters Indiana.
  At mile forty-five, the river becomes straighter with few sharp bends. An additional seventeen tributaries raise the depth of the river considerably making it navigable for larger vessels. At mile fifty-nine, the river passes through Ouabache State Park where it begins to widen and become more shallow. The white limestone river bottom can sometimes be seen in the area, whereas it is not visible due to pollution elsewhere downstream. As the river exits the park and flows towards the city of Bluffton near mile sixty-six, it widens further, becoming more shallow; only a narrow channel is navigable by larger vessels. The river remains shallow and somewhat rocky with minor rapids until mile seventy-one near the community of Murray. There the river becomes calm and deeper until mile eighty-one due to the dam and levee at the town of Markle. The lock that was formerly at the site is abandoned and a narrow washout is the only means to bypass the dam. In the rocky washout the river level drops four feet, making it one of the most dangerous points on the river. Boaters are advised to exit the river and reembark on the other side of the dam rather than traverse the washout.
  At mile eighty-nine, the large Huntington Dam blocks the river. Built by the Army Corps of Engineers to make a reservoir, the dam creates the J. Edward Roush Lake. The lake is surrounded by park land and recreation areas and is about five miles (8 km) in length and a mile wide at its widest point. The mile-long stretch after the Huntington Dam is rarely navigable. No lock connects the two sections of the river, and the water is often very shallow. A second smaller dam at mile ninety-one presents a dangerous hazard, leading the section between it and the Huntington Dam to be closed to boaters.
  At mile ninety-three the river is joined by its first major tributary, the Little River. The city of Huntington sits at the confluence of the two rivers. The tributary dramatically increases the volume of water in the Wabash at this point, and because of the dams on the Wabash, it often carries more water than the Wabash. Additional minor tributaries raise the water level between Huntington and the city of Wabash. As the river passes Wabash and moved towards Peru, it splits creating a series
caption: Forks of the Wabash at Huntington
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