MALTA BEND, Mo. Backes has given Hawley's team permission to dig up the boat, but excavation cannot start until this year's corn crops have been harvested. A 19th-century steamboat moored at a river bank. In Malta Bend, Missouri, theres one that sank loaded down with expensive and rare trading goods, and its been underground for nearly 200 years. 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. But the Great White Arabia was lost, along with all her precious cargo. 19962023 by Koinonia House Inc., P.O. The network. This coming Wednesday 10thFebruary, Malta will be celebrating the feast of St. Paul's Shipwreck. According to David Hawley, the leader. Backes grew up on the farm and has lived in Malta Bend for much of his life. Whether its your first visit to this favorite Kansas City attraction or you come every year, the treasures of the Steamboat Arabia will connect you to American history in a new and exciting way. >> THE SEARCH NOW IS TO FIND A PLACE TO PUT THE BOAT AND THE TREASURE INSIDE. It's universal that people love a treasure hunting story, Hawley said. The treasures contained within painting a vivid picture of . casting off the anchors, they left them in the sea . The treasures contained within painting a vivid picture of western expansion and the treacherous frontier. The treasures contained within painting a vivid picture of western expansion and the treacherous frontier. >> BEFORE I DID THIS, MY FAMILY RAN A HEATING AND AIR CONDITIONING BUSINESS. PublishedJanuary 20, 2022 at 1:53 PM CST. Hes confident they can raise the money. The town has a single four-way stop, a single restaurant and field after field of corn. As always, the Bible proved itself reliable and historically accurate. Now, David Hawley, alongside Jerry Mackey and David Luttrell, are leading a new team of adventurers determined to unearth the sunken steamboat. MALTA BEND, MISSOURI IS HOME TO A SINGLE FOUR WAY STOP AND, A LOT OF CORN. But just what lies in wait underneath this midwestern field remains a mystery to be uncovered this winter. He brought in a large drill and after going 37 feet underground, they hit something and pulled out the only core sample taken. >> OVER TIME, THE MISSOURI RIVER MOVED AND BURIED IT. >> THESE ARE NATIONAL TREASURES. Jim Backes owns 1,500 acres along the bend in the river where the water used to flow. This article was originally published in the 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 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. The treasures contained within painting a vivid picture of western expansion and the treacherous frontier. Winner will be selected at random on 04/01/2023. The Arabia is an incredible story but there are other stories to tell. We're bringing in good people to the project.. (Photo: Luke Spencer). "It's real exciting.. As I correlated all these facts, I realized that the four stern anchors of Paul's prisoner-laden cargo ship may well represent the best possibility in the world today of recovering an actual, physical object specifically mentioned in the pages of the Bible. Hawley has been searching for steamboat wrecks up and down the Missouri River for more than 30 years. The Arabia produced a vast collection of preserved trade goods from 1856 that are on display at the Arabia Steamboat Museum. (Photo:Courtesy of the Arabia Steamboat Museum). When you get your lawn cut, you can see where youve been before.. Working night and day, and funding their project themselveseach member of the team put in $10,000, supplemented by loans from local banksthey dug through the frost of Kansas winter nights. published by Curiosity TV in 2019 Rumors said it was filled with gold, or hundreds of barrels of Kentucky bourbon. From clothing, fine china and carpentry tools to guns, dishes and childrens toys to the worlds oldest picklesthe collection captivates visitors of all ages. As other research efforts of the BASE Institute have proven in the past, Bible history and tradition are often completely opposite from one another. Follow us on social media to add even more wonder to your day. You need to be logged in to continue. 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. 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. It all started with a shipwreck, as told in the book of Acts, about 60 AD while the apostle Paul was en route to Rome. In cooperation with the Maltese government, we want to return and do much more to verify the identity of the Roman anchor stock now at rest on the island. You have permission to edit this article. From left, Travis Collins and Justin Beaver attach drill bits before drilling to outline the Malta steamboaton Saturdayin Malta Bend, Missouri. The Malta is Hawley's latest find. Check In Add to history Add to collection Add to watchlist During the latter half of the 19th century, the Corps of Engineers undertook projects to forcibly alter the shape of the Missouri River. Guests will see the treasures recovered from the Arabia and watch preservationists restoring artifacts in our lab. (Photo:Courtesy of the Arabia Steamboat Museum). After more than a year and around 300 miles of walking, Hawley had a strong hit. The search now is to find a place to put the boat and the treasure inside. Login to create it. Around this time last year, his metal detector found high concentrations of metal in a field owned by farmer Jim Backes. Preserved fillings for fruit pies. AS KMBC 9S WILLIAM JOY REPORTS THIS DISCOVERY HOLDS PART OF OUR NATIONS HISTORY. All rights reserved. But as winter moved into spring, their time ran out. According to Acts 27:39, the sailors on Paul's ship didn't recognize their location. An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Whatever the team finds inside, Hawley said hed like to combine its artifacts with those at the Arabia museum. "These are national treasures, Hawley said. Sign up here to receive our free digital version of Personal Update. Before the advent of the railroads, steamboats pioneered the rapidly expanding Western frontier, carrying passengers and supplies along rivers such as the Mississippi and the Missouri. Let us know! Pray about joining us! If we find beads or pipes, were off to the races, he said. Support, Available on CuriosityStream, Prime Video. No purchase necessary. First one needed to learn to research, then use a metal detector, then run equipment.. Visitincludes a series of short videos that show the story of this historic excavationanda short movie. You can help by adding some! Please log in, or sign up for a new account to continue reading. 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. Hes confident they can raise the money. . The drill cranked 37 feet down. Discovered by an unlikely team of amateur historians 45 feet beneath a Kansas cornfield, the Steamboat Arabia is one of the best-preserved shipwrecks When the mighty Steamboat Arabia sank near Kansas City on September 5, 1856, she carried 200 tons of mystery cargo. Three years later, the Malta is still underground. It seems this amazing chapter of American history is overlooked perhaps our efforts in retelling the Arabias story, and that of the steamboat Malta will pass along to a future generation a glimpse of what life was once like in a younger America.. [However, he says that St Paul healed . Hawley says the lease for the steamboat museum is up in seven years and he needs more room. It all came out with what we were hoping for.. General Information . 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. 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. 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 wasnt the first to come to Backes front door asking to search the property. Although usually celebrated with particular fervour in Valletta, it is a public holiday across the whole country, for this feast has for centuries held a special significance for the Maltese people. 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. To give some indication of scale, the team found over 4,000 shoes and boots and over three million Indian trade beads. Walking inside is like stepping back in time into a well-stocked department store from just before the Civil War. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Cornfield Shipwreck April 2002 Personal Update News Journal. "It's the boat and it's full of stuff, Hawley said excitedly. The treasures contained within painting a vivid picture of western expansion and the treacherous frontier. At the tail end of 1988, the treasure hoard of the Arabia was finally unearthed, the team working in the freezing cold. Cold air preserves artifacts better than warm air, Hawley said. 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. This paint forms an outline in the farm field, a rectangular shape 140 feet long by 22 feet wide. Indications of a metal mass gave Hawley a clue. Arabia Steamboat Museum - English narration. "That's as good of history as it gets, Hawley said. We don't have any reviews for Cornfield Shipwreck. On September 5, 1856 about an hour north of Kansas City, the Arabia hit the sharp snag, and within minutes lay at the bottom of the Missouri River. In 1987 they started gathering clues from old newspaper reports and river maps that showed where the Missouri had once coursed. A small team of men worked to find the outline of the ship, marking hits and misses to create a chalk outline. It's universal that people love a treasure hunting story, Hawley said. They decide to try to sail the boat right up onto the beach there. The discovery was truly a modern day treasure-hunting story at its best. "That's pretty exciting stuff, Hawley said. The places with high levels of metal are circled within the outline in orange paint. People, you know, a mile away figured it might be on their property or whatever.. But with the Arabia Museum "bursting at the seams," until a new space is found that can accommodate all future boats, the Malta, the Radnor, their cargo and the stories they tell of America's westward expansion remain buried. In Malta Bend, Missouri, there's one that sank loaded down with expensive and rare trading goods,. He knew the Malta sank near the town of Malta Bend because of the name and turned to newspaper archives to narrow down its location. It appeared that the Arabia occupied an area about the length of a football field, but was located 45 feet underground. (Photo: New York Public Library/Public Domain). The artifacts are preserved and displayed at the Arabia Steamboat Museum, located in the historic City Market. Is Cornfield Shipwreck streaming? The collection in the Arabia was so vast that 25 years after the museum opened, artifacts are still being cleaned and restored; Hawley said revenue from ticket sales goes back into these efforts. Cornfield 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. This page was last modified 07:42, 17 November 2021. It's estimated between 300 and 400 boats have sunk along the Missouri River. Ours is a tale of treasures lost, says Hawley. >> ITS UNIVERSAL THAT PEOPLE LOVE A TREASURE HUNTING STORY. The boat lies about 50 feet deep and is situated about 1,500 feet from the Missouri River, says Hawley. It wasnt the booze that wasof interest to us, but rather that boat sank quickly and it was reported to be full of cargo., Even items as delicate as reading glasses were preserved immaculately deep underneath the field. Your favorite studies, available wherever you want. (816) 471-1856|steamboatmuseum@gmail.com. How had all this come about? The diesel-fueled generators and water pumps fell silent, and the remains of the giant side-wheeler Arabia were once again buried over, ready for that years crops to be sown. Over time, the Missouri River cut a new channel and moved, leaving the boat buried deep under what is now a Missouri farm field near Malta Bend, Missouri. Digging up another boat, especially not knowing what is inside, is high-risk, he said. It was one such snag, hewn from a sycamore tree, that did in the Arabia. That same year, he found his first boat, the Missouri Packet, whose engine is now at the museum. 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