The piece of history I reviewed was about a steamboat in the mid 19th century. The ship was cruising the mighty Missouri River carry goods for towns along the river. It met a rather tragic demise. Over one hundred years later, the wreckage was excavated and it was found that all the goods it was carrying were still well preserved! Almost as though it sank yesterday. The only evidence that it didn’t was a skeleton of a mule!
Key Takeaways:
- The steamboat Arabia ran into a submerged walnut tree at the bottom of the river and sunk. The boat was abandoned because the strong current made salvage impossible.
- In 1987, Bob Hawley and his two sons used old maps and a metal detector to find the ship, which they eventually located beneath a layer of mud and silt.
- Excavation took roughly one year, but as soon as they reached the sunken hull they began uncovering treasure.
“Excavation took roughly one year, but as soon as they reached the sunken hull they began uncovering treasure.”
http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/treasures-of-the-steamboat-arabia