"On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away" was among the best-selling songs of the 19th century, earning over $100,000 from sheet-music revenues. Written and composed by American songwriter Paul Dresser, it was published in October 1897. The lyrics of the ballad reminisce about life near Dresser's childhood home by the Wabash River in Indiana. Indiana General Assembly adopted it as the official state song in 1913. The song was the basis for a 1923 film of the same title.<br>Dresser's younger brother, a famous novelist Theodore Dreiser, claimed to have authored part of the song.
