When did Steamboat Arabia sink?
September 5, 1856
When the mighty Steamboat Arabia sank near Kansas City on September 5, 1856, she carried 200 tons of mystery cargo. Lost for 132 years, its recovery in 1988 was like finding the King Tut’s Tomb of the Missouri River.
Is the Steamboat Arabia moving?
The museum will remain at its current location in City Market until its lease expires in 2026. For more information on the museum, click here. One of the top tourist attractions in Kansas City could be leaving town. The owner of the Steamboat Arabia Museum is looking at a new city for his sunken riverboat collection.
Who found the steamboat?
Hawley uncovered the Steamboat Arabia from a field about half a mile from the Missouri River’s present channel. The boat itself is still being unearthed, but Hawley’s museum now displays the artifacts preserved inside it, a collection of 200 tons worth of historical objects that sank in 1856.
What was found on the Arabia steamboat?
On November 26, 1988, the Arabia was finally exposed, along with its 200 tons of buried treasure. Within a few days, a wooden crate filled with elegant china was unearthed; the yellow packing straw still visible thanks to the mud being such an effective preserver.
Has the steamboat Malta been dug up?
That was 2016. Three years later, the Malta is still underground. The cost to dig it up: $3 million. “We’ve been working on it for years to get it to this point,” Hawley said.
Has the Malta steamboat been dug up?
It’s estimated between 300 and 400 boats have sunk along the Missouri River. In Malta Bend, Missouri, there’s one that sank loaded down with expensive and rare trading goods, and it’s been underground for nearly 200 years. That may soon change. David Hawley is equal parts a steamboat historian and a treasure hunter.
What boat sank in the Missouri River?
the Arabia
On September 5, 1856, just outside of Kansas City, the Arabia hit one of these snags and sank in a matter of minutes. Thankfully, the 150 passengers and crew made it off the boat safely. But the 200 tons of cargo were lost to the muddy river, not to be seen again for over 130 years.
How many steamboats sank on the Missouri River?
Some 400 steamboats sank in the Missouri river between 1819 and 1895, when steamboat traffic gave way to railroads and barges. Most of the boats sank after striking snags, which were occasionally visible but just as oftern submerged.
Where was Steamboat Arabia?
The Steamboat Arabia was built in West Brownsville, Pennsylvania, at the boatyard of John S. Pringle in 1853. At 171 feet long, the Arabia traveled the Missouri river and transported passengers as well as carried up to 222 tons of cargo, including tools for the frontier, merchandise for general stores and federal mail.
When was the Arabia found?
In 1987, a group of treasure hunters discovered a steamboat buried deep in a Kansas cornfield. This was the Arabia, a side-wheeler whose hull was pierced by a submerged tree on Sept. 5, 1856, near Parkville, Mo., 6 miles north of Kansas City.
Who dug up the Steamboat Arabia?
Bob Hawley
But the 200 tons of cargo were lost to the muddy river, not to be seen again for over 130 years. In the winter of 1988, local A/C and furnace repair company owner Bob Hawley, along with his sons David and Greg, learned of the Arabia’s story and discovered the boat’s location.
What does a steamboat smell like?
It’s enclosed, air conditioned, decorated in deep red and smells like popcorn. Capt. Steve Terry co-owns the boat with his wife.
Who discovered the Steamboat Arabia?
Can steamboats go in the ocean?
Within a few decades of the development of the river and canal steamboat, the first steamships began to cross the Atlantic Ocean. The first sea-going steamboat was Richard Wright’s first steamboat Experiment, an ex-French lugger; she steamed from Leeds to Yarmouth in July 1813.
How did they find the Steamboat Arabia?
What is the Arabia Steamboat?
The Arabia is a side wheeler steamboat that sank in the Missouri River near what today is Kansas City, Missouri, on September 5, 1856. The boat sank after hitting a tree snag submerged in the river, and was rediscovered in 1988 by a team of local researchers. Artifacts recovered from the site are now housed in the Arabia Steamboat Museum.
What was the name of the steamboat that sank?
Arabia (steamboat) The Arabia is a side wheeler steamboat which hit a snag and sank in the Missouri River near what today is Kansas City, Missouri, on September 5, 1856. It was rediscovered in 1988 by a team of researchers.
What happened to the Steamboat Arabia in a cornfield?
The Sinking of Steamboat Arabia And its Discovery in a Cornfield. After many failed attempts the boat was finally located by David Hawley in 1987. Using a metal detector, weathered maps, and old newspaper clippings to guide the search, the boat’s wreck was discovered 45 feet underground.
What happened to the walnut tree that sank the steamboat?
Chugging westwards towards the setting sun, the steamboat’s pilot never saw the partially submerged trunk of a walnut tree that lied directly ahead. The lethal snag ripped through the steamer’s thick, oak hull and water quickly poured in.