The Wabash Valley is the valley area along the Wabash River that spans Indiana and Illinois. The Wabash Valley falls in a larger area called the Grand Prairie. Lafayette is located on the end of the Grand Prairie and spans across Illinois into Iowa. This area has very rich soil because of the glacier recession and the centuries of decaying vegetation. The rich soil has attracted farmers to this area.The Wabash Valley area also falls in what is known as the Corn Belt. Corn thrives in this area and was the most important crop. The location of The Farm made it easy for farmers to take wagons of grain and livestock to Ohio and Chicago to trade and sell. The addition of the Wabash and Erie Canals made selling and trading much easier since farmers could just unload their crops on a barge and get back to farming.