Riverboat Recovered
A group of amateur archaeologists became experts in recovery and care of freshwater salvage, when they were able to locate the site of the 1856 wreck of the riverboat Arabia. The boat struck a snag, and slowly sank into the mud of the Missouri River, though the location is now a cornfield because of the shifting course of the river. The author and his team sank their own money and considerable borrowed funds into finding and uncovering the boat and its full cargo of 220 tons of everyday goods of 153 years ago. The scope and magnitude of what they found are staggering, even as the task of cleaning and preserving the thousands of artifacts continues at the Steamboat Arabia Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. Clothes, shoes, hats, hardware, tools, food and drink are on display, and in great abundance and looking like new. What is already on view constitutes an historical treasure like no other in America. The book chronicles the whole adventure, and gives the reader a sense of what the museum holds. However, the true message is that a personal quest like this can be carried out if one has the commitment and family support.
