<Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> Basin features </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Basin size </Th> <Td> 39,950 sq mi (103,500 km) </Td> </Tr> <P> 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 . </P> <P> 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), eight townships 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 bridges and avenues 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 . </P>

Where does the wabash river start in indiana