All rights reserved. Success! The committed steamboat hunter grabbed his metal detector and GPS and started walking. He said there had been speculation for years that the boat was somewhere in the area, but was surprised to learn it was on his land. Find out where to watch online amongst 15+ services including Netflix, Hotstar, Hooq. After all, theyve gotten lucky so far. The artifacts are preserved and displayed at the Arabia Steamboat Museum, located in the historic City Market. The Arabia produced a vast collection of preserved trade goods from 1856 that are on display at the Arabia Steamboat Museum. Visiting the lab, I saw, among the artifacts being cleaned that day, a sawmill vise, cast-iron stove hinges and yet more shoes. The city of Malta Bend, Missouri, is named for the sunken ship. "It's great exercise even if you don't find anything, Hawley said. How a Champagne-Laden Steamship Ended Up in a Kansas Cornfield. 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 moved, and the area where the boat sank became part of the land, now covered by crops. 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. You wont find it on the first day and I didnt find it I dont think in the first year.After more than a year and around 300 miles of walking, Hawley had a strong hit. Each time it came up, workers moved the portable rig another foot, later refilling the holes left behind and marking them with white paint. Now, David Hawley, alongside Jerry Mackey and David Luttrell, are leading a new team of adventurers determined to unearth the sunken steamboat. PublishedJanuary 20, 2022 at 1:53 PM CST. Support, Available on CuriosityStream, Prime Video. A century-old iron scow is inching closer to the brink of Niagara Falls. Three years later, the Malta is still underground. The Bible, however, places the location of Paul's shipwreck in a different area than the traditional site. Hawley, along with his father, brother and two friends, unearthed over 200 tons of items, the equivalent of 10 container trucks. If we find beads or pipes, were off to the races, he said. 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. "That's pretty exciting stuff, Hawley said. The treasures contained within painting a vivid picture of western expansion and the treacherous frontier. He brought in a large drill and after going 37 feet underground, they hit something and pulled out the only core sample taken. Because of fear of smashing into some rocks in the dark, they drop their anchors. He can't do this work alone working with construction companies and archaeologists since beginning the search for the Malta. Drilling cant be done every day; the process is dependent on weather and dry soil. Buried treasure: Long lost Steamboat Malta found under Missouri farm land, TREASURE. It wasnt tough to know where to start. 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 Bible, however, places the location of Paul's shipwreck in a different area than the traditional site. "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. That led to The Arabia Steamboat Museum in the City Market in Kansas City, Missouri, and sent Hawley on a continuing quest to find five other steamboats from the hundreds that sank in the river. You wont find it on the first day and I didnt find it I dont think in the first year.. A popular Kansas City attraction for more than 25 years. History Documentary hosted by Joi Shilling, Hes confident they can raise the money. Synopsis 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. 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. 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 ". 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. "Before I did this, my family ran a heating and air conditioning business.". 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. The dishes were uncovered soon after, says Hawley. Discoveries in the Black Sea: Pre-Flood Artifacts? People, you know, a mile away figured it might be on their property or whatever.. Like Atlas Obscura and get our latest and greatest stories in your Facebook feed. The first mystery is, of course, how a boat that sank mid-river ends up buried in a field. AS KMBC 9S WILLIAM JOY REPORTS THIS DISCOVERY HOLDS PART OF OUR NATIONS HISTORY. "If we can find and secure a location, we'll dig it next year, he said. The treasures contained within painting a vivid picture of western expansion and the treacherous frontier. "That's as good of history as it gets, Hawley said. It was one such snag, hewn from a sycamore tree, that did in the Arabia. The evidence we had personally discovered fit every detail of Luke's description of the anchors Paul's ship left in the sea. It will be recovered during the winter months to provide cold air for the collection and lessen the threat of spring and summer flooding of the river., The stories of these great frontier steamers, says Hawley, and the heroic pilots that steered them up this uncertain river have fallen silent. Hawley has found several sunken steamboats. The only town I know of that was named for a steamboat, Hawley said. If the Malta is excavated, it'll be in the winter. 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. There was a problem saving your notification. . under the cornfield of retired magistrate Norman Sortor. There was an error processing your request. Learn more about the full cast of Cornfield Shipwreck with news, photos, videos and more at TV Guide . 2023 TV GUIDE, A FANDOM COMPANY. >> THE SEARCH NOW IS TO FIND A PLACE TO PUT THE BOAT AND THE TREASURE INSIDE. 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. "We knew it had to be here somewhere, Backes said. Aboard the sidewheeled steamer was cargo for Peter Sarpy, Papin & Robidoux and other Chouteau trading posts and merchants along the Missouri River. It could be the museum of the great American steamboat, Hawley said. >> PEOPLE SAY, I KNOW WHERE ITS AT. By joining TV Guide, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. Hawley has been searching for steamboat wrecks up and down the Missouri River for more than 30 years. Cornfield Shipwreck We had instrument readings showing they were left in the sea at the precise depth recorded by Luke. The land owner gave them permission to dig, but with the proviso that they were out in time so that he could sow crops in the spring. Offer subject to change without notice. We didnt dig the boat to create a museum, says Hawley. - English narration. We don't have any cast added to this movie. Error! Rather, it had come about by taking the Bible at face value, using it as a "road map" to guide our research, and then stepping out in faith and putting its details to the test in a tangible way. 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. An eye-opening journey through the history, culture, and places of the culinary world. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. That may soon change. According to Acts 27:39, the sailors on Paul's ship didn't recognize their location. As other research efforts of the BASE Institute have proven in the past, Bible history and tradition are often completely opposite from one another. IT TOOK A YEAR AND 300 MILES BEFORE HE GOT A STRONG HIT. "That's pretty exciting stuff, Hawley said. Many searched for the treasure believing it to have aged to perfection in the oak barrels lost deep in the river mud. Its estimated between 300 and 400 boats have sunk along the Missouri River. This paint forms an outline in the farm field, a rectangular shape 140 feet long by 22 feet wide. published by Curiosity TV in 2019 When the mighty Steamboat Arabia sank near Kansas City on September 5, 1856, she carried 200 tons of mystery cargo. Jim Backes owns 1,500 acres along the bend in the river where the water used to flow. Everybody was really very pleased.That was 2016.Three years later, the Malta is still underground. When the mighty Steamboat Arabia sank near Kansas City on September 5, 1856, she carried 200 tons of mystery cargo. A nearly complete chalk outline marks the position of the Malta steamboat on Saturday. (Photo: Courtesy of the Arabia Steamboat Museum). During the latter half of the 19th century, the Corps of Engineers undertook projects to forcibly alter the shape of the Missouri River. *Closed on New Year's Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve andChristmas Day. Dave had a hypothesis about this boat and pretty good records, Fulmer said. 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. "We knew it had to be here somewhere, Backes said. "It's great exercise even if you don't find anything, Hawley said. >> THE ONLY TOWN I KNOW OF THAT WAS NAMED FOR A STEAMBOAT. The cost to dig it up: $3 million. Marking the outline of the Arabia; 45 feet deep and about the length of a football field. Closed one hour early onMemorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Halloween and New Year's Eve. You have permission to edit this article. This coming Wednesday 10thFebruary, Malta will be celebrating the feast of St. Paul's Shipwreck. From the very beginning, I have felt that with enough research, Biblical investigation, and on-site observation, we would stand a good chance of finding what no one to date has been able to find - the precise location of Paul's shipwreck along the coast of Malta. (Photo: 285,000 People Urge a Chinese Park to Free the 'World's Saddest Polar Bear', Some Ships Keep Sailing Even After They're Wrecked, Florida Has More Archaeological Canoes Than Anywhere Else in the World, FOUND: An Incredibly Well Preserved Egyptian Funeral Boat From 4,500 Years Ago, Take a Soothing Swim in a Lake Swarming With Golden Jellyfish, Racing a Giant Pumpkin Boat in Goffstowns Regatta, Show & Tell With a Pull-Tab Archaeologist, Inside Ohio's Experimental Archaeology Lab. 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. "It's real exciting.. Inside, they found 150 gold buttons, fabric, well-preserved ceramics and a large iron hook. 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. Not by the cleverness of any individual, and certainly not by assuming that the Bible cannot be trusted. Over time, the Missouri River moved, and the area where the boat sank became part of the land, now covered by crops. 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. What had our expedition yielded? The steamboat Malta sank in late August 1841 while loaded with Indian trading supplies for the American Fur Company. Box D, Coeur dAlene, ID Many of these artifacts, from shoes to champagne bottles, are on display at the Arabia Steamboat Museum in Kansas City. HIS LATEST QUEST IS FOR AN EVEN GREATER PRIZE, AND HE KNEW EXACTLY WHERE TO START. But as winter moved into spring, their time ran out. Cold air preserves artifacts better than warm air, Hawley said. Hawley wondered if it was the Malta. THREE YEARS LATER, THE MALTA IS STILL UNDERGROUND. Until then, the items waiting to be catalogued are preserved encased in ice blocks. One such place was near Parkville, a few miles north east of Kansas City. It was the dish barrel that really gave us the encouragement that the enormous amount of money being spent might actually be worth the gamble.. 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. The treasures contained within painting a vivid picture of western expansion and the treacherous frontier. And research into sailing ships of the day informed me that the anchors in question would have been huge, lead-and-wooden Roman-style anchors common on huge freighters like the one Paul sailed on. 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. 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! The lost cargo of liquor made the Arabia famous, Hawley says. The vast amounts of chopped wood required to fuel the steamboats meant the rivers were littered with lethal remnants of logs, known as snags. Indications of a metal mass gave Hawley a clue. Local legends grew of a sunken steamboat under the cornfield of retired magistrate Norman Sortor. The collection is so big that Hawley estimates it will take another 10 years to present it all. Other locations for Paul's shipwreck on Malta have been suggested based on geographical analysis and the discovery of Roman anchors. The treasures contained within painting a vivid picture of western expansion and the treacherous frontier. 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. But just what lies in wait underneath this midwestern field remains a mystery to be uncovered this winter. Cornfield Shipwreck (3) 37min 2019 NR 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 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. "These are national treasures, Hawley said. 2023, Hearst Television Inc. on behalf of KMBC-TV. A professional archaeologist may be needed to evaluate the project, and Fulmer has offered his services. ." It was like Christmas every day, Hawley says. ", I didn't care about flying saucers or Bigfoot, he said. The treasures contained within painting a vivid picture of western expansion and the treacherous frontier. We had no idea it was right there, Backes said. General Information . The discovery was truly a modern day treasure-hunting story at its best. He learned the dimensions of the boat 140 feet long by 22 feet wide measurements confirmed by the drilling on Saturday, are an exact match for the object under the field. Household matches are dry enough to light the cords of still fragrant tobacco, that could still be smoked in the dozens upon dozens of preserved, delicate clay pipes. A 19th-century steamboat moored at a river bank. "It's the boat and it's full of stuff, Hawley said excitedly. Hawley said he compared maps of the Malta Bend area over time before he just started looking. He drew a grid to go along with a present-day map to track miles of walking with a metal detector. Visit JustWatch for more information. Hawley wasnt the first to come to Backes front door asking to search the property. The answer lies with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Situated in the capital city of . Several years ago, he turned his eyes on the Malta, which sank in 1841 after hitting a tree in the river -- a common fate for boats back then. Visiting the collection of treasure rescued from the Arabia, the scope of the artifacts is staggering. Apple Inc. And, again based on the Luke's description in Acts, we believe we may have located the ruins of the inland Roman- style villa of Publius and his father, mentioned in Acts 28:7-8, which we would like to investigate further under Maltese oversight. The city of Malta Bend, Missouri, is named for the sunken ship. "People say, Oh, I know where it's at, Backes said smiling. "It's the boat and it's full of stuff, Hawley said excitedly. Jim Backes owns 1,500 acres along the bend in the river where the water used to flow. The town of Malta Bend has waited centuries to find its namesake and is eager to know and see the treasures contained below the surface. Hawley had known about the Malta for years, but he waited to start searching until 2014. >> THE ONLY THING TO DO, BREAK OUT THE METAL DETECTOR AND START WALKING. His most significant is the Arabia, the centerpiece of the Arabia Steamboat Museum in Kansas Citys River Market. Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. 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. Walking inside is like stepping back in time into a well-stocked department store from just before the Civil War. His goal is to have one boat from each decade of the Missouri River's steamboat era and place them all in one National Steamboat Museum. Legends grew of a sunken steamboat under the Cornfield of retired magistrate Norman.! In our Privacy Policy its at beginning the search for the sunken ship exercise. Was near Parkville, a few miles north east of Kansas City learn more the! 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