The most treacherous of the many hazards were fallen trees lying hidden from sight just under the river's surface. These "snags" crippled and sank hundreds of steamboats from the 1820s to the 1870s. 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. The 200 tons of cargo it carried was lost to the muddy river.
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. Years of erosion and shifting sand left the sunken paddleboat 45 feet underground and a half-mile away from the present channel of the Missouri River. They partnered with long-time friend and customer Jerry Mackey, who operated a local fast food chain. A fifth and final partner David Luttrell joined the team that would recover the Arabia's long lost cargo.
To remove water from the site faster than it seeped in, Bob designed a system of pumps, each displacing 1,000 gallons per minute. The pumps had to be dismantled to prevent them from freezing at night, then laboriously reassembled the next morning.
The four-and-a-half-month excavation resulted in the discovery of the largest collection of pre-Civil War artifacts in the world. Beautiful glass bottles illustrate the care taken in producing containers for ordinary contents such as liquor or ketchup. Small-mouthed bottles contain preserved fruits for pies, as well as bright green sweet pickles(They were still edible!). These, along with buttons, beads, clothing, tools, weaponry ... all this and more was found aboard the sunken ship.
A visit to the museum is a glimpse into the past. The contents of the Arabia's cargo can fascinate a visitor for hours. Case after case, window after window, the world during 1856 comes to life in the everyday items recovered.
