Wabash Cannonball

There are many theories of the origin of the song "The Wabash Cannonball".

According to Utah Phillips, the Wabash Cannonball came about in the following way: "In the 1880's the Wabash Cannonball was a mythological train made up by some bum somewhere, the train that any old hobo would ride on the way to his reward, wherever that might be. There never was a train called the Wabash Cannonball that went 'from the great Atlantic Ocean to the wide Pacific shore.' And there never was a train where a bum could get breakfast on the club car.

"As the song got more poular, the Wabash system in the Mid-west thought it was the smart thing to do to name its express run the Wabash Cannonball. It ran between Detroit and St. Louis until about three years ago." ...[1]

The use of "The Wabash Cannonball" as a fight song started at Kansas State University in 1968. On December 13, 1968 the music department building, Nichols Hall, burned to the ground destroying all the music and instruments. The only piece of music was left was "The Wabash Cannonball," which the music director, Phil Hewitt, had taken home in his briefcase. There was only a few days before the Monday night basketball against Syracuse, and the band was in a panic looking for instruments and music. When the band played at the game they played the Wabash (the only song they had in their lyres). It has been in use by the marching band ever since.