About

100 miles or so north of Indianapolis, IN lies a small town nestled along the banks of the Wabash River commonly known throughout this great country of ours as “Murray”.

“Murray”  was not always known as Murray. “Was-ish-ash-a-bish-hee-ya-tuk” as the local Indian tribe would say, translates into today’s'  tongue as “True Center of The Universe“, or a more modern Swahili-Midget persuasion “Gateway To The Great Beyond“.

A Place To Begin…

For centuries,  Murray was a destination for oracles, wise-men, scholars,  philanthropists, high priests and voodoo witchdoctors all seeking wisdom, a higher knowledge, a comprehensive understanding of the real meaning of life, everlasting peace from within , divine intervention, or just seeking the inner truth that only exists in such a place as in  “The True Center of The Universe”.

(If this a little much, click here)

Law & Order…

Murray was ruled during the ancient times by a sort of committee made up of three of the oldest males in the village.  This early form of government continued for many moon, and when one of the council would pass on, the deceased would be immediately replaced by the next-to-the-oldest.

The council was so successful at their rule, stories were told and word traveled far about their great accomplishments.  To their credit, they had several popular traits that made them living legends.

One such trait was to welcome any visitor to their village and make them always feel welcome.  Another was  when they would hear of news concerning a sickness or death in anyone’s dwelling- they were always one of the first on the spot offering comfort and compassion to try to help the family cope with the pain. And, when news spread of a birth the council of three always brought gifts and cheer to the newcomer’s household to welcome and celebrate with open arms the new arrival.

You Might Have Heard This Before…

Probably their most famous story is one that is still told to this very day:

One cold winter’s night a star appeared in the east.  It was no ordinary star so the council of three went to their Holy Place to meditate and smoke the peace pipe and try to find the truth.  (The tobacco for the peace pipe grew naturally along the river in those days.)

Some said they made too much peace that night because when they emerged from their Holy Place they were convinced that the star was no ordinary star. “The Star is an Omen of what is to be!” they proclaimed.

They packed their meager belongings and gifts for what they would find and began their journey into the unknown. It was a long and treacherous journey following that star and finally upon their arrival, our three leaders found the answer to their quest:  a baby had been born King Among Kings!

Without question , judgments or prejudice they presented the baby boy’s mother with numerous gifts including frankincense  and myrrh,  grown locally in Murray. In those days, frankincense  and myrrh were not widely used in that part of the world so our three heroes had to teach the numerous uses of each, and such knowledge changed the lives of many for the better.

As they were leaving a teary-eyed citizen asked another “who were they?” “Delmar, Joseph and Brian” replied the local proctor.  “The Three Wise Men.”

(No, really-if this is too thick, click here!)

Industry & Farming Merge…

The indigenous Indians proved to be very enterprising.  They grew crops in the fertile flat lands along the Wabash providing more grains than could be  consumed by the tiny village.

They soon realized that some type of storage was needed for their excess crops so they developed an apparatus for drying and storing grain that is still in use today. Due to the occasional flooding of the river, a means of storage was most certainly challenging at best.  This contraption had to be high enough to keep the grain dry from floods, protected from the elements and easily accessible to retrieve the grain.

After several experiments failed, they finally developed a design that fit all their needs.  This unit was more of a vertical storage vessel and was built in a round configuration to withstand the flooded river currents, high enough to keep their grains out of the water, and an ingenious opening was crafted at a low level to provide access to the grain, which was fed by gravity.

A young Indian was tending the grain one winter’s evening while drinking large quantities of the sweet Wabash corn whiskey.  Needless to say, he left the grain vessel unattended, and the grain spilled out of the opening all over the ground.

The village elders made the lad shovel all the spilled grain back inside, by himself, for his punishment.  The youngster knew he had done his village wrong and made no protests about his punishment.  His only recorded comment during the whole episode was one word:  “Shoot”.

The name stuck and  the opening in the grain vessel from that moment became known as the “shoot” , or in more recent times, “the chute”.  The vertical storage vessel became known as a “Grain Bin”, yet another Murray contribution to society.

(Boy! This is really something! I can’t hardly stand it!)

Progress…

Steam powered water craft soon dominated the once quiet area because of the natural slopes to the river provided by glaciers centuries earlier.

Murray had a healthy reserve of wood for the steam boilers and plenty of corn whiskey distilled from the surplus corn crop.   Murray provided a rich haven for the steamboat merchants  to trade their goods with the Indians for food, women, corn whiskey and fresh water.

Incidentally, the water was packaged in clay containers made from kiln-baked Wabash River Mud and resembled the modern-day bottle.  People traveling on the steamboats soon began buying this “bottled water” from the Indians because of the purity of the Wabash River water and the convenience of how it was packaged.Bottled water is just one more of the many industries that had their humble beginnings in Murray, IN.

A New Face…

Things began to take a drastic change in Murray early in the 19th century when a young steamboat deck hand named James Falkner Murray arrived one rainy, hot mid-July night.

Looking for a public restroom Murray mistakenly wondered into the elder’s Holy Place during one of their truth-finding sessions.

The elders had been in there quite a while because it was raining and believed Murray was a disciple sent by the gods and swiftly handed the unsuspecting deck hand the peace pipe; Murray thought those three old farts were just drunk so he took the pipe and shared in the religious rites for the next three days and nights.

Murray had traveled to lands far and abroad and was no stranger to the bizarre ways of the different types of people he had encountered along  the way.  He learned the safest way to get along was to go along.

As the four enlightened souls emerged from the Holy Place the villagers who were gathered learned their beloved village known as “The True Center of The Universe” was now proclaimed “Murray”, and from that day forward all were encouraged to use the new salute as each other passed:  sticking the tongue out from the mouth, and with the lips still remaining in contact with the tongue, a short burst of breath was blown from the mouth.

Click here to view the only known portrait of the late, great James Falkner Murray, founder of Murray as proclaimed by the elders of “The True Center of The Universe”.

Murray Today…

Things are not that much different now in Murray these days.  Oh, there are some newer houses, horseless carriages, electricity and indoor plumbing (really!), but Murray is still populated with those few fortunate mortals who enjoy the simple things life has to offer.

Oh, yes…We cook a lot of BBQ  here, too!     Click Here

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