Because of fear of smashing into some rocks in the dark, they drop their anchors. Internet Service Terms So he read up on the Missouri Rivers lost steamboats, trying to learn all he could about where and when they sank. The boat lies about 50 feet deep and is situated about 1,500 feet from the Missouri River, says Hawley. >> ITS THE BOAT AND ITS FULL OF STUFF. This article was originally published in the The rig stopped Saturday afternoon as it rounded out the last corner, affirming David Hawleys suspicion of what it had been running into down below. During the latter half of the 19th century, the Corps of Engineers undertook projects to forcibly alter the shape of the Missouri River. . The Arabia produced a vast collection of preserved trade goods from 1856 that are on display at the Arabia Steamboat Museum. Hawley said when the team first began, they moved the drill at 10- to 15-foot intervals, but as the outline neared completion, the drilling became more precise at about a foot between each hole. About midnight on the 14th day after the storm began, the sailors notice that the water is becoming less deep! There is a mural dedicated to the boat in the center of this small town on Highway 65 west of Marshall, and a sign at City Hall depicts a smaller version. From clothing, fine china and carpentry tools to guns, dishes and childrens toys to the worlds oldest picklesthe collection captivates visitors of all ages. But the Great White Arabia was lost, along with all her precious cargo. Then, with detailed photographs and videotapes in hand, we consulted a scholar from the local university, who confirmed what we already knew. published by Curiosity TV in 2019 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The treasures contained within painting a vivid picture of western expansion and the treacherous frontier. 2023 TV GUIDE, A FANDOM COMPANY. Marking the outline of the Arabia; 45 feet deep and about the length of a football field. "That's as good of history as it gets, Hawley said. The Church of St. Paul's Shipwreck is one of the oldest Roman Catholic parish churches in Malta and is dedicated to St. Paul's brief time on the island. Walking inside is like stepping back in time into a well-stocked department store from just before the Civil War. The steamboat Malta sank in late August 1841 while loaded with Indian trading supplies for the American Fur Company. "We've been working on it for years to get it to this point, Hawley said. You hit and you miss., Hawley's father owned a heating and cooling business, and in 1985 Hawley met a customer who "looked for steamboats, flying saucers and Bigfoot. While the Arabia lies once again dormant in the cornfield, plans are already underway for the next excavation this winter: the steamboat Malta. >> PEOPLE SAY, I KNOW WHERE ITS AT. Dave had a hypothesis about this boat and pretty good records, Fulmer said. Learning was done as we went along, says Hawley. It could be the museum of the great American steamboat, Hawley said. Visiting the collection of treasure rescued from the Arabia, the scope of the artifacts is staggering. David Hawley is equal parts a steamboat historian and a treasure hunter. 11K views, 133 likes, 9 loves, 3 comments, 58 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Curiosity Stream: When the Steamboat Arabia sank, some said she carried. Lost for 132 years, its recovery in 1988 was like finding the King Tuts Tomb of the Missouri River. >> THE ONLY TOWN I KNOW OF THAT WAS NAMED FOR A STEAMBOAT. Local legends grew of a sunken steamboat under the cornfield of retired magistrate Norman Sortor. As an assistant producer on Up To Date, my goal is to amplify voices of people who serve as pioneers in their respective fields while shedding light on issues that affect underserved communities. As it turns out, Luke's careful record of the voyage and shipwreck argue convincingly against the traditional "St. Paul's Bay," where no artifacts have ever been found, though professionals have searched for them. 2023 Atlas Obscura. The locations of the metal, he said, aligned with the layout of a 19th century steamboat, with the highest concentrations in spots where an engine, boiler and paddle wheels would be. Support, Available on CuriosityStream, Prime Video. IT TOOK A YEAR AND 300 MILES BEFORE HE GOT A STRONG HIT. Cornfield Shipwreck TV Special 2019 37 m IMDb RATING 7.4 /10 19 YOUR RATING Rate Documentary Discovered by an unlikely team of amateur historians 45 feet beneath a Kansas cornfield, the Steamboat Arabia is one of the best-preserved shipwrecks in American history. Steamboat Arabia & Malta Featured In Shipwreck Documentary There is a relatively new network available for people who love learning and documentaries about a host of engaging topics. Its estimated between 300 and 400 boats have sunk along the Missouri River. Hawley says the lease for the steamboat museum is up in seven years and he needs more room. Buried treasure: Long lost Steamboat Malta found under Missouri farm land, TREASURE. Discovered by an unlikely team of amateur historians 45 feet beneath a Kansas cornfield, the Steamboat Arabia is one of the best-preserved shipwrecks in American history. Koinonia Institute is an online Bible Institute with a focus on verse-by-verse study where serious Christians can grow in knowledge, understanding, awareness and commitment! First one needed to learn to research, then use a metal detector, then run equipment.. Is Cornfield Shipwreck streaming? It wasnt tough to know where to start. Hes had discussions with other cities in Missouri and even some in other states. *Closed on New Year's Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve andChristmas Day. Second Sunken Steamboat Raises Questions For Kansas City's Arabia Museum, Steamboat Arabia Museum Charts Course Away From City Market, Toward Jefferson City, A guide to exploring Kansas City's French influences and history. Clay pipes survived the shipwreck, as did the tobacco to fill them. A 19th-century steamboat moored at a river bank. Koinonia Institute is dedicated to training and equipping the serious Christian for ministry in todays world. If we find beads or pipes, were off to the races, he said. Hes found 11 and dug up two, including the steamboat Arabia near Kansas City in 1987. At the tail end of 1988, the treasure hoard of the Arabia was finally unearthed, the team working in the freezing cold. While most rescued sunken treasure is heavily water damaged and covered in rust and barnacles, the cargo of the Arabia was in relatively pristine condition, about as immaculately preserved as the day she sank 160 years ago. There was an error processing your request. It appeared that the Arabia occupied an area about the length of a football field, but was located 45 feet underground. "That's as good of history as it gets, Hawley said. Even more amazing, because he had no idea what he had found, the diver passed along one of the anchor stocks to a friend of the family - who now kept it on display in her local villa! Guests will see the treasures recovered from the Arabia and watch preservationists restoring artifacts in our lab. The Malta sunk in the Missouri River in 1841, and could be excavated as early as this fall. We depend on ad revenue to craft and curate stories about the worlds hidden wonders. We're bringing in good people to the project.. Inside, they found 150 gold buttons, fabric, well-preserved ceramics and a large iron hook. According to David Hawley, the leader of the steamboat recovery process, the boat was probably headed west carrying goods to trade with American Indians for furs. [However, he says that St Paul healed . The search now is to find a place to put the boat and the treasure inside. The treasures contained within painting a vivid picture of western expansion and the treacherous frontier. Error! MALTA BEND Wet, thick mud oozed out of the ground as a drilling rig spiraled in and out of the rich bottom land 1,000 feet from the Missouri River. "I remember coming down here and wondering would it be in this field or that field or maybe in the river, Hawley said, pointing across Backes property. Hawley wondered if it was the Malta. It's universal that people love a treasure hunting story, Hawley said. According to David Hawley, the leader. PublishedJanuary 20, 2022 at 1:53 PM CST. >> THATS AS GOOD OF HISTORY AS IT G. Its estimated between 300 and 400 boats have sunk along the Missouri River. The Malta sank in the Missouri River in 1841. The condition was so pristine they could easily read the stamp on the sole, Goodyear Rubber Company., The first artifact found, the shoe was lying on the main deck of the Arabia. We don't have any cast added to this movie. Digging up another boat, especially not knowing what is inside, is high-risk, he said. Over time, the Missouri River moved, and the area where the boat sank became part of the land, now covered by crops. Hawley will use the measurements to re-map the boat's position when he is ready to dig it up this fall. The plan was to bring the banks closer together, and by narrowing the width of the river, speed up the current, making boat passage much faster. Once on-site in Malta, our multiplied hours of research really began to pay off. (Photo: Courtesy of the Arabia Steamboat Museum). The steamboat Malta sank in late August 1841 while loaded with Indian trading supplies for the American Fur Company. Receive top local news and columns every morning. What had our expedition yielded? Now, David Hawley, alongside Jerry Mackey and David Luttrell, are leading a new team of adventurers determined to unearth the sunken steamboat. The Arabia was, after all, going to be supplying everything needed for 16 outpost towns. Aboard the sidewheeled steamer was cargo for Peter Sarpy, Papin & Robidoux and other Chouteau trading posts and merchants along the Missouri River. Using electronic magnetic testing and sample drilling, the team started to see if they could find this stricken treasure ship lying underneath a corn field. As senior producer of Up To Date, I want our listeners to hear familiar and new voices that shine light on the issues and challenges facing the myriad communities KCUR serves, and to expose our audiences to the wonderful and the creative in the Kansas City area. Visit JustWatch for more information. The vast engine boilers emerged, and the shape of the main deck gradually appeared from the earth. >> OVER TIME, THE MISSOURI RIVER MOVED AND BURIED IT. Discovered by an unlikely team of amateur historians 45 feet beneath a Kansas cornfield, the Steamboat Arabia is one of the best-preserved shipwrecks Director Shane Seley Writer Michael Mavretic Star Jodi Shilling Arabia Steamboat Museum Some of the freight was destined to unload in Independence, Missouri, for passage along the Santa Fe Trail to Bents Fort in Colorados southeast corner. Operated by the American Fur Company, the Malta sank in the Missouri in 1841, headed for trade with Native Americans, and would have returned laden with expensive pelts. We had an impartial eyewitness to the existence of four Roman anchors in a location precisely matching the Bible's description. >> WEVE HAD PEOPLE OUT HERE BEFORE LOOKING FOR IT. As more and more facts emerged from our investigation, the possible search areas became fewer and fewer, until by the time our search team made our most recent trip to Malta, we had narrowed down our target sites to just two relatively small areas. See. Hundreds of 1800s steamboats were lost to the Missouri River, hidden deep beneath riverbeds and farmfields. Offer subject to change without notice. Through an amazing series of "coincidences" on Malta, we located, interviewed, and went diving on-site with a local spear fisherman who several years ago stumbled across four lead anchor stocks in the precise location, and at the precise depth, our research had already predicted. We had a shoreline matching every detail of the eyewitness account in Acts 27, including a bay with a beach, a location where "two seas meet," and a sloping reef between the anchor site and the shore. Operated by the American Fur Company, the Malta. Whatever the team finds inside, Hawley said hed like to combine its artifacts with those at the Arabia museum. Over time, the Missouri River moved, and the area where the boat sank became part of the land, now covered by crops. The cost to dig it up: $3 million. It was one such snag, hewn from a sycamore tree, that did in the Arabia. Steamboats dominated travel in the U.S. during the 19th century. This page was last modified 07:42, 17 November 2021. ", I didn't care about flying saucers or Bigfoot, he said. >> JIM BACHES OWNS 1500 ACRES RIGHT WHERE THE MALTA SANK 200 YEARS AGO. Having confirmed Luke's precise details of the anchors' location - a "bay with a beach" (v. 39), a place where "two seas meet" (v. 41), the depth of "fifteen fathoms" (v. 28) - we then secured permission to examine the anchor stock itself. The treasures contained within painting a vivid picture of western expansion and the treacherous frontier. As I began to investigate Luke's account more carefully, one detail kept jumping off the pages of Scripture at me: after all the horror and travail of the storm at sea, and the ship's narrow escape by putting out four stern anchors in the middle of the night, the next morning ". Three years later, the Malta is still underground. >> DAVID HAWLEY IS HALF STEAMBOAT HISTORIAN, HALF TREASURE HUNTER. In Malta Bend, Missouri, theres one that sank loaded down with expensive and rare trading goods, and its been underground for nearly 200 years. The city of Malta Bend, Missouri, is named for the sunken ship. Discovered by an unlikely team of amateur historians 45 feet beneath a Kansas cornfield, the Steamboat Arabia is one of the best-preserved shipwrecks in American history. Hawley said he and his family borrowed almost $1 million to pay for equipment to dig up the Arabia. (Photo:Courtesy of the Arabia Steamboat Museum). You can reach me at. At KI, we delve into the relevance and reliability of Scripture, including prophetic insight both past and present. History Documentary hosted by Joi Shilling, published by Curiosity TV in 2019 - English narration [] Cover[] InformationCornfield Shipwreck Discovered by an unlikely team of amateur historians 45 feet beneath a Kansas cornfield, the Steamboat Arabia is one of the best-preserved shipwrecks in American history. The Malta is resting under a cornfield near the town named for it, Malta Bend, and the Radnor remains under the Missouri's waters near Boonville. The dishes were uncovered soon after, says Hawley. Can't find a movie or TV show? All rights reserved. The discovery was truly a modern day treasure-hunting story at its best. Spots along the outline of "hits" are marked with red flags; misses are marked with white flags. Copyright 2023 >> THE ONLY THING TO DO, BREAK OUT THE METAL DETECTOR AND START WALKING. When the mighty Steamboat Arabia sank near Kansas City on September 5, 1856, she carried 200 tons of mystery cargo. From left, Travis Collins and Justin Beaver attach drill bits before drilling to outline the Malta steamboaton Saturdayin Malta Bend, Missouri. The lease for the American Fur Company, the Corps of Engineers undertook projects to forcibly alter shape... Only THING to do, BREAK OUT the metal detector and START walking sunk along the Missouri.... 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