The Steamboat Arabia

With a name like Arabia this Missouri River steamboat already had me fascinated.  Why Arabia, when clearly this boat never sailed anywhere near the east?  As quite a large ship, it contained a picturesque glimpse into life in the 1800s.  With a wide array of knick nacks, apparel, tools, food (even glass jars of unopened and still EDIBLE pickles!) and toys, the Arabia was a virtual treasure trove sunk 45 feet below the mud and muck of the Missouri River.  Over time, the course of the river altared and allowed the family access to the steamboat.  After weeks of winter excavation the ship was finally unearthed and artifacts were carefully uncovered from the dirt. 

Once the family realized the quantity of artifacts preserved underneath the rich farmland, they were unable to separate the collection.  It would be the largest collection of 18^th century frontier items ever discovered(preserved in mint condition-most items having never been used).

It is the sheer quantity of items that first dazzles the visitor, but as the tour began, my guide quickly explained that the preservation effort is still underway.  The museum has an active preservation lab on premises and with a staffer on site daily, continues to preserve the past right in front of anyone who cares to watch.  I spoke with Dr. Wright, the Textiles Preservationist at the museum.  She works with the boots, reams of fabric (which are not surprisingly few and far between, as anything plant-protein based was entirely disintegrated)  The biggest hurdle to the preservation effort is just that; all cotton and organic matter has disintegrated over time, leaving boots like old banana peels, ready for a preservationist to spend more than thirty hours lacing together.  To give you an idea of the work these historians have undertaken I'll detail some of the findings.  In the hold of the Arabia, the family found 5,000 boots, even more shoes, thousands of buttons, barrels and barrels screws, and all kinds of equipment meant to furnish life on the frontier. 

Currently, Dr. Wright is working on a particular shirt of unique historical importance.  In the 1800's rival gangs patrolled the borders of the three states (Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska) fighting other gangs and controlling their territory.  The way Dr. Wright explains it, these gangs seem to be a form of entertainment, like sports teams today.  To augment this image, the gangs each had a particular symbol, a heart, a star, or an eagle.  These symbols were proudly displayed on the front of a handmade shirt.  Unlike today, it was extremely uncommon to find manufactured shirts with patterns in the 1800’s.  Dr. Wright is carefully piecing together one of these symbol shirts.  It is unique in that it is a manufactured shirt, it is not handmade.  The stitches are too regular and widely spaced for the maker to be a human.  The shirt was also constructed with as little material waste as possible, following the utilitarian style of the factories. 

This particular revelation, coupled with the knowledge that these shirts were on a steamboat coming from a popular factory town, St. Louis, with an end destination in Omaha, we are to imagine that factories have begun mass producing these 'gang' shirts.  Why would they do this?  What does this mean in terms of the history of these places and the history of these rivalries?  No one knows for sure the answers to these questions, but visit Dr. Wright and she’s sure to give you her theory on the matter. 
If you are in KC, swing down to the river market district for a tour of the museum.  There is sure to be something here for everyone.

If you're not in KC visit the website for a virtual experience: http://www.1856.com/

Also visit Dr. Wright’s textiles blog at: