At the beginning of the month, Robert and I celebrated our wedding anniversary. We commonly don’t make a big deal out of our anniversary and usually remember it a day or so after it had passed. Not this year! Even though our day was right smack in the middle of the work week, I thought it was time for us to take a break from our regular work routine and do something special.
I had no idea what we were going to do. That is, until my mother made a suggestion.
She suggested that we take a short jaunt to Kansas City and visit the Arabia Steamboat Museum. My Mom and Dad had visited there a while back and were impressed. She insisted that it should be on Robert and my “Must See” list. I should admit that I didn’t understand her enthusiasm of how great the museum was. I figured it would be a nice place to visit, but didn’t really have a priority in going to see it.
Since we didn’t have any other good ideas, Robert and I headed to KC to visit the Arabia. We were NOT disappointed!
The Steamboat Arabia hit a snag near KC in the Missouri River in 1856. The boat was loaded with 200 tons of new merchandise on its way for delivery to general stores for building communities out West. Within minutes, the boat and its contents sank to the bottom of the River. The 130 passengers survived, but as for the rest of the cargo, it was a total loss.
Listed as cargo was 400 barrels of whiskey. That sparked several unsuccessful attempts to work to salvage the contents of the Arabia. As time had passed and the river meandered, the treasure was thought to be lost forever and just left for legend.
Of course there had been some modern day treasure hunters attempt to map out and find the Arabia, but it wasn’t until 1988 that the BIG discovery was made. The story of how a group of friends and family, consisting of a plumber, excavator, and restaurant owner. They came together, researched, invested, and risked everything, then how they discovered such vast riches of our history is truly amazing.
Remember, 200 tons of brand new merchandise went down with the Arabia that was intended to stock the shelves of many general stores. To see the stock of building supplies, knives, dishes, food, boots, clothing, was simply a jaw-dropping experience! It was unbelievable that clothing was perfectly preserved. That is, the clothing that had animal proteins, like leather, wool and silk. As for all the cotton calico dresses on board, nothing more was left of them but the millions of buttons. The buttons were a great indicator of what the fabric would have looked like since back then button patterns and fabric patterns matched.
Never found were the 400 barrels of whiskey that were sitting on the deck. Likely, when the boat sank, the barrels floated downstream. Any farmer or passer-byer who discovered a barrel, most likely wouldn’t tell anyone about it, and enjoyed it for themselves.
The museum was opened in 1991 to the public. For all the thousands and thousands of articles displayed in the museum, there are still thousands in the process of cleaning. Pictures just don’t do this museum justice! You must to just go there and experience it yourself. Check out their website, 1856.com.
It isn’t often that I am this impressed with a destination. The family’s story about the treasure hunt. The impressiveness of the amount of articles found. The pristine condition of the artifacts. The history that was told. All of it is so amazing and I can’t seem to talk enough about it. Now I understand my mother’s enthusiasm.
