Mom came for another visit in the month of November. Among other things, we visited the Steamboat Arabia museum, which has preserved thousands of artifacts from an 1856 wreckage on the Missouri River. You can learn all about it at
www.1856.com.
The Arabia sank just a few miles upstream from Kaw Point, where the Kansas and Missouri river come together.
The Arabia sank in very shallow water. It turns out that hundreds of steamboats sank during the 1800's due to the shallow water and snags in the river. All passengers safely escaped the wreck, but all the cargo was lost and buried in mud for over 100 years.
The boat was dug out of this old corn field along the Missouri in the winter of 1987. The river had long since changed its course by then. Digging in the cold gave the artifacts a greater likelihood of staying preserved. The dig required several pumps to keep water out of the hole. After salvaging the cargo, the pumps were turned off and the hole quickly filled up with water and mud.
The boat was excavated by a private party of treasure hunters. After uncovering thousands of artifacts, the group decided to preserve the collection in a museum in downtown Kansas City. We got a chance to meet the head of the excavation, Dave Hawley, who is still hunting for another boat to dig up along the Missouri river.
Everything in the boat was perfectly preserved due to the mud and the cold. Even cloth was preserved. What remains fills a display that is somewhat of a 1850's WalMart.
The museum boasts that it holds the largest collection of artifacts from the 1800's. Every piece, including individual nails have to be hand cleaned and preserved. Only half of the cargo has been cleaned so far. The other half awaits in a freezer. They estimate it will take another 20 years before they are finished.
The number of artifacts truly was overwhelming, and it was fun to gain insights into what things these pioneers owned and how they lived.
Every single button found on the Arabia has been preserved. They found liquor and pickles that still hold their taste. There was reports of gold being transported on the Arabia, but despite diligent efforts, they only dug up a total of 23 cents.
Tragically, the Arabia was headed for Council Bluffs, Iowa (across the river from Winter Quarters). A large percentage of the passengers was a group of Mormons heading west. They, along with everyone else, lost everything in the shipwreck. This wall in the museum was dedicated to them and their trek westward.
The Arabia sank just a few miles upstream from Kaw Point, where the Kansas and Missouri river come together. 
The Arabia sank in very shallow water. It turns out that hundreds of steamboats sank during the 1800's due to the shallow water and snags in the river. All passengers safely escaped the wreck, but all the cargo was lost and buried in mud for over 100 years.
The boat was dug out of this old corn field along the Missouri in the winter of 1987. The river had long since changed its course by then. Digging in the cold gave the artifacts a greater likelihood of staying preserved. The dig required several pumps to keep water out of the hole. After salvaging the cargo, the pumps were turned off and the hole quickly filled up with water and mud. 
The boat was excavated by a private party of treasure hunters. After uncovering thousands of artifacts, the group decided to preserve the collection in a museum in downtown Kansas City. We got a chance to meet the head of the excavation, Dave Hawley, who is still hunting for another boat to dig up along the Missouri river.
Everything in the boat was perfectly preserved due to the mud and the cold. Even cloth was preserved. What remains fills a display that is somewhat of a 1850's WalMart.
The museum boasts that it holds the largest collection of artifacts from the 1800's. Every piece, including individual nails have to be hand cleaned and preserved. Only half of the cargo has been cleaned so far. The other half awaits in a freezer. They estimate it will take another 20 years before they are finished.
The number of artifacts truly was overwhelming, and it was fun to gain insights into what things these pioneers owned and how they lived.
Every single button found on the Arabia has been preserved. They found liquor and pickles that still hold their taste. There was reports of gold being transported on the Arabia, but despite diligent efforts, they only dug up a total of 23 cents.
Tragically, the Arabia was headed for Council Bluffs, Iowa (across the river from Winter Quarters). A large percentage of the passengers was a group of Mormons heading west. They, along with everyone else, lost everything in the shipwreck. This wall in the museum was dedicated to them and their trek westward.
3 comments:
We were pretty surprised to see the wall about the Mormons, the trek westward, and how they were connected to the Steamboat Arabia. We had inadvertently taken Dorothy to another Church History site!
That was really interesting. I had never heard of it. I was surprised myself when I happened upon a Mormon Battalion museum in San Diego. Mormons are everywhere! Thanks for the history lesson. I can always count on you guys.
We recently visited the Kanesville tabernacle in Council Bluffs, IA, where we saw a church film about the Mormon Batallion. I was surprised to find how instrumental the Batallion was in blazing trails across the west.
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