Wabash County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of 2000, the population was 12,937. Its county seat is Mt. Carmel.
History
Wabash County was formed in 1824. The County is named for the Wabash River, which forms its eastern and southern borders. The name "Wabash" is an English spelling of the French name for the river, "Ouabache." French traders named the river after the Miami Indian word for the river, "Wabashike," (Prounounced "Wah-bah-she-keh"), the word for "pure white." Much of the river bottom is white limestone, now obscured by mud.
