Kansas state university students, fans and alumni have been doing the wabash cannonball at athletic events and university gatherings for decades. Apr 4, 2019 proudly showcasing kansas state universitys rich history and. According to the kstate marching bands history, the tradition dates to 1968 when the wabash cannonball was the only piece of sheet music to survive a building fire. It served a large area, including track in the states of ohio, indiana, illinois, iowa, michigan, and missouri and the province of ontario. They were followed for centuries by many different tribes making the. The first wabash cannonball gala took place in kansas city in 2007 and since that time the black tie event has expanded to include colorado, houston, texas. Wabash cannonball by the kansas state pride of wildcatland. Heres a story just about every kansas state football fan will agree with. Official twitter account for the kansas state marching band. Green started his first stage service in kingman, kansas in 1876, which initially ran through pratt to coldwater and later to greensburg, a town he helped found in 1886 and was named for him.
Cannonball green, the cannonball stage line connected the railroad to towns across southwestern kansas and into the untamed red lands of oklahoma. It was also used as the theme song by the uss wabash aor5. The kstate marching band is stepping up its efforts to stop the vulgar chant thats broken out sporadically during its performances of one of the schools traditional pep songs, wabash. Bill snyder puts an end to ksus fuck ku chant during the. It marked the first time in history that dome cars were used between st. Excelsior springs wabash bbq draws on its tie to railroad. In the process of my passing the wabash cannonball on to you, we might enjoy a little railroad history together, perhaps a sort of baseball story, and even a bit of economic history from the 1890s. The great rock island route, also known as wabash cannonball, is the title of an american. This is the official facebook page for the kansas state history website located at. Primarily focused on ncaa football, discussion is welcome on any collegiate league, teams, and players. When nichols gym burned in december 1968, the fire destroyed most of the kstate bands instruments and sheet music.
Aug 02, 2012 student section doing the wabash cannonball pregame. The wabash railroad reporting mark wab was a class i railroad that operated in the midcentral united states. Espn names kansas states wabash cannonball best pregame. The andreas history of the state of kansas cutler, wm.
Kansas history the history of kansas state the us50. In 2016 the wabash cannonball was recognized by espn as the. Apr 4, 2019 proudly showcasing kansas state universitys rich history and beautiful. This textbook written for a seventh grade audience by jennie chinn, kansas historical society executive director, is tied directly to kansas social studies standards. Kstate alumni centers wildcat statue and ksu obelisk. The birth of the wabash cannonball kstate collegian. The only music that survived was the wabash cannonball, which the band used to pump up a home. The corporate saga of the wabash involved the efforts of strongwilled and creative leaders, but this book provides more than traditional business history. A student claps while turning first to the left, and then the right, then bobs his or her torso forward. If you are from indiana, you might know wabash cannonball because of its reference to a wellknown river in the hoosier state. Follow the flag offers the first authoritative history of the wabash railroad company, a once vital interregional carrier. Bill snyder puts an end to ksus fuck ku chant during. In the end, the prr largely stayed out of wabash affairs enabling its prominent rise into an important and profitable midwestern bridge line.
A group of kstate students have gone viral for playing the wabash cannonball in the back of a pickup truck on the side of the road after they. It celebrates a train that went past my house at the southern edge of decatur, illinois, throughout my childhood. The name wabash railroad or wabash railway may refer to various corporate entities formed over the years using one or the other of these two names. Kstate band urges fans to stop the chant during wabash. Cannonball stage route legends of kansas history, tales.
Kstate marching band stops playing after obscene chant kansas. Nevertheless, i shall press onward, because the state of scholarship on cannonball is not adequate, at least so far as i can find. The wabash cannonball arranged by joel leach is known as the unofficial second fight song of kansas state university, having been played since the late 1960s. State university, kansas state wildcats, best university, wabash cannonball. A cyclopedia of state history, embracing events, institutions, industries, counties, cities, towns, prominent persons, etc. The dustbowl balladeers grand coulee dam one of several songs he wrote about the largest concrete structure in the united states is a rework of the wabash cannonball. They were followed for centuries by many different tribes making the history of kansas entwined with the first americans. Kstates second fight song is a staple of the game day experience, complete. Jun 08, 2016 heres a story just about every kansas state football fan will agree with. Written to enlighten general readers within and well beyond the state s borders, it offers coverage not found in previous histories. Most of us know the story of how the song became a staple of the bands repertoire, but here it is again, from the kansas state bands website.
See more ideas about kansas state university, kansas and kansas state wildcats. As she glides along the woodland oer the hills and by the shore. Wabash cannonball the kansas state pride of wildcatland marching band gameday faves. Places including counties, townships, dead towns, post offices, cemeteries.
The program draws its name from the wellloved song wabash cannonball, and this years events will commemorate the 50th anniversary of a significant event in wabash cannonball history. The first railroad to use only wabash and no other city in its name was the wabash railway in january 1877 which was a rename of the toledo, wabash and western railway formed on july 1, 1865. Written to enlighten general readers within and well beyond the states borders, it offers coverage not found in previous histories. Currently kansas state is the prime contributing player of the song and most noted with big 12 fans and spectators. Seven gold awards for the kstate global campus always on, always there commercial. The history of the sunflower state is the first new state history to appear in over twentyfive years and the most thoroughly researched ever published. The ring tells the story of kstate and connects students and alumni. The wabash cannonball has played a vital part in kstate spirit, dating back to december 1968 when. Top secret drum corps of basel meets the blue devil percussion team of concorde california duration. The new train, containing four dome cars in its sixcar consist, was put into service and offered passengers a new view of wabash railroad territory.
The first wabash cannonball gala took place in kansas city in 2007 and since that time the black tie event has expanded to include colorado, houston, texas, and the north texasarea. Sep, 2019 the kstate marching band is stepping up its efforts to stop the vulgar chant thats broken out sporadically during its performances of one of the schools traditional pep songs, wabash. Kansas state university, comic books, comics, cover, fictional characters. Jun 10, 2014 explore niki1970s board kansas state emaw. Johnny cash wabash cannonball the wabash cannonball is an american folk song about a fictional train, thought to have originated in the late nineteenth century. When i spotted an article titled wabash cannonball. Hear the mighty rush of the engine hear those lonesome hoboes call. Manhattan native tom bookwalter, in cooperation with head coach bill snyder.
The first passenger trains to be dieselised used emd e7 locomotives, and later alco pas and emd e8s wabash cannonball. The kansas historical society offers a number of indexes that can aid in tracing family history as well as other research projects. Its first documented appearance was on sheet music published in 1882, titled the great rock island route and credited to j. Its corporate history was a rollercoaster affair of prosperity and struggle. Louis, city of kansas city, blue bird, banner blue and the very famous wabash cannonball. Austin state university lumberjack marching band, the kansas state university marching band, the university of texas longhorn band, and of the indiana state university marching sycamores, as isu is close to the wabash river. Kstate band members whip out instruments and play wabash. While it was only a midwestern bridge line the wabash railroad carried a fascinating heritage. Sep 20, 2016 kansas state university band playing wabash canonball. The term purple pride, which is often used in association with ksu athletics, was. It started in 1968, when a fire roared through the universitys nichols hall, destroying nearly all of the marching bands sheet music. Yet the name was never borne by a real train until the wabash railroad christened its detroitst. Hidden history of kansas by adrian zink, soldiers in the army of freedom. Student section doing the wabash cannonball pregame.
Kansas state band plays wabash cannonball after pickup. The text provides students with a wide variety of primary source materials which help to develop critical thinking skills. Operated by a flamboyant and colorful man named donald r. First leadership team meeting for our 2020 season is in the books. When nichols gym burned in december 1968, the fire destroyed most.
Wabash cannonball a proud tradition for kansas state. Tracing its roots back through decades of kstate athletics history, fans are. Tom bookwalter, a native of summerfield, kansas, created the new contemporary logo. With a history like no other, and a firm grasp on tradition, the wabash cannonball may be known as a second fight song to the k state contingent. Shanklin travels as dean of kansas state universitys graduate school, its not unusual for her to return with a large stack of business cards each card representing a connection shes made with a kstate alumnus during her trip. Kansas cityarea kstaters turn out for the wabash cannonball gala event each year to raise money for area high school students who plan to attend k state. See more ideas about kansas state university, kansas state wildcats and kansas. Wabash cannonball is a lighthearted yet serious countrymusic song. You always have the option to delete your tweet location history. The video was posted this past weekend by band member trace woods. What was the only piece of music to survive a fire on the campus in 1968. A video of six kansas state university band members showing off their musical skills on the side of the road has gone viral. In his legendary tome art of war, ancient chinese military general sun tzu said a successful army must know its enemies. Well carry him home to dixie on the wabash cannonball.
Since 1953 the wabash railroad has been considered 100% dieselized for both freight and passenger service. On the wabash cannonball if you lived through the great depression, you might remember the wabash cannonball as one of the countrys most resonant songs from that era a spirited ballad about a legendary locomotive. Names combining several different indexes of kansas names. That included a piece of music titled the wabash cannonball. Wabash cannonball, the contributor names todd, charles l. It earned pop culture status thanks to the folk song the wabash cannonball which eventually led to a train of the same name and flew a legendary logo with the slogan, follow the flag. Kansas state university band playing wabash canonball. Traveling through the jungle on the wabash cannonball. The name of this legendary train became famous with the 1904 revision of an 1882 song about the great rock island route. Since then, the kansas state marching band, also known as the.
With a history like no other, and a firm grasp on tradition, the wabash cannonball may be known as a second fight song to the kstate contingent. Welcome to the proudest tradition in kansas state sports. Visit our ebay store to view other books of interest. Kansas state universityfootball programretrohistoryvintage logossports. It was the only piece of sheet music rescued from the ksu music department in the nichols hall fire of 1968, and grew in popularity with students and fans. The black tie gala is always a grand time for wildcats. Espn college football writers think the wabash cannonball is the best pregame tradition in the big 12. Historians have reported that native americans were living in kansas as early as 12,000 b. The wabashs major freight traffic advantage was the direct line from kansas city to detroit, without going through st. The wabash cannonball is an american folk song about a fictional train, thought to have originated in the late nineteenth century. Kansas cityarea kstaters turn out for the wabash cannonball gala event each year to raise money. The version hewett had, according to lindemuths story, was. Check out wabash cannonball by the kansas state pride of wildcatland marching band on amazon music. On october 26 and 27, 20, fort wayne railroad historical societys nickel plate.