It was entirely possible that there was nothing lying under the field they had so expensively begun to dig up. What had our expedition yielded? "If we can find and secure a location, we'll dig it next year, he said. You can help by adding some! According to David Hawley, the leader of the project, the measurements found Saturday match those of the Malta. Advertisement for the Arabias final voyage; steamboats were used to carry both passengers and cargo. 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. The boat lies about 50 feet deep and is situated about 1,500 feet from the Missouri River, says Hawley. Inside, they found 150 gold buttons, fabric, well-preserved ceramics and a large iron hook. Visiting the lab, I saw, among the artifacts being cleaned that day, a sawmill vise, cast-iron stove hinges and yet more shoes. Koinonia Institute is dedicated to training and equipping the serious Christian for ministry in todays world. The treasures contained within painting a vivid picture of western expansion and the treacherous frontier. >> THE ONLY TOWN I KNOW OF THAT WAS NAMED FOR A STEAMBOAT. April 2002 Personal Update News Journal. Backes grew up on the farm and has lived in Malta Bend for much of his life. 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. This coming Wednesday 10thFebruary, Malta will be celebrating the feast of St. Paul's Shipwreck. People, you know, a mile away figured it might be on their property or whatever.. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Success! Many of these artifacts, from shoes to champagne bottles, are on display at the Arabia Steamboat Museum in Kansas City. When the mighty Steamboat Arabia sank near Kansas City on September 5, 1856, she carried 200 tons of mystery cargo. "These are national treasures, Hawley said. Internet Service Terms Receive top local news and columns every morning. Over time, the Missouri River moved, and the area where the boat sank became part of the land, now covered by crops. Box D, Coeur dAlene, ID Around this time last year, his metal detector found high concentrations of metal in a field owned by farmer Jim Backes. But then they reached the cargo holds below, and discovered what would be the largest time capsule of 19th-century American history. 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. 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. 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. "People say, Oh, I know where it's at, Backes said smiling. Hawley says the lease for the steamboat museum is up in seven years and he needs more room. He doesn't work in the family business anymore; the museum and searching for steamboats are his full-time gigs. 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. Like us on Facebook to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. We had instrument readings showing they were left in the sea at the precise depth recorded by Luke. There was no sign of the legendary hoard of gold and whiskey barrels. 2023 TV GUIDE, A FANDOM COMPANY. The treasures contained within painting a vivid picture of western expansion and the treacherous frontier. 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. Spurred on by the potential impact such a discovery could have on the issue of the Bible's historical accuracy, we at BASE drew on as many experts as possible in analyzing all the weather patterns, maritime lore, sailing equipment and techniques, and details in Luke's account that could possibly lead us to the real wreck site of Paul's voyage - and, hopefully, to the massive lead anchor stocks I believed must be in the sea off one particular bay along the Maltese coast, just as Luke described it. It could be the museum of the great American steamboat, Hawley said. It was here in 1856 that the Arabia sank after hitting a snag of a sycamore tree, sinking in minutes. 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. A popular Kansas City attraction for more than 25 years. >> ITS UNIVERSAL THAT PEOPLE LOVE A TREASURE HUNTING STORY. 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 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. Hawley had known about the Malta for years, but he waited to start searching until 2014. A century-old iron scow is inching closer to the brink of Niagara Falls. The artifacts are preserved and displayed at the Arabia Steamboat Museum, located in the historic City Market. But the Great White Arabia was lost, along with all her precious cargo. 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. 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. This place is on the island of Malta in a body of water called "St. Paul's Bay," a tradition started by a priest in the 1500s but not supported in any way by historical evidence. Then, with detailed photographs and videotapes in hand, we consulted a scholar from the local university, who confirmed what we already knew. The first mystery is, of course, how a boat that sank mid-river ends up buried in a field. Inside, they found 150 gold buttons, fabric, well-preserved ceramics and a large iron hook. The only town I know of that was named for a steamboat, Hawley said. No purchase necessary. (Photo: New York Public Library/Public Domain). Clay pipes survived the shipwreck, as did the tobacco to fill them. He brought in a large drill and after going 37 feet underground, they hit something and pulled out the only core sample taken. KCUR serves the Kansas City region with breaking news and powerful storytelling. No television provider needed. Jim Backes owns 1,500 acres along the bend in the river where the water used to flow. 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. We didnt dig the boat to create a museum, says Hawley. 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. The cost to dig it up: $3 million. 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. The treasures contained within painting a vivid picture of western expansion and the treacherous frontier. You dont have to go into the ocean to find a shipwreck, says Kansas City explorer DavidHawley. 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. Over time, the Missouri River moved, and the area where the boat sank became part of the land, now covered by crops. Shop Our Favorite February Amazon Deals Before the Sales End, The 14 Best Mineral Sunscreens of 2023, According to Pros, 14 TikTok-Famous Cleaning Products That Actually Work, According to Our Experts, 14 Best Healthier Candy Alternatives of 2023, According to Taste Tests. This suggests the possibility of a shipwreck on the rarely travelled north side of the island, where St. Paul's Bay now is. The collection is so big that Hawley estimates it will take another 10 years to present it all. 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. The treasures contained within painting a vivid picture of western expansion and the treacherous frontier. Error! "Before I did this, my family ran a heating and air conditioning business.". The search now is to find a place to put the boat and the treasure inside. History Documentary hosted by Joi Shilling, Closed one hour early onMemorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Halloween and New Year's Eve. 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. Bringing the world into focusthrough the lens of Scripture. Just as important to me is an obligation to mentor the next generation of producers to ensure that the important conversations continue. Cornfield Shipwreck ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Rumors said it was filled with gold, or hundreds of barrels of Kentucky bourbon. >> THAT WAS 2016. The Malta lies in a cornfield 1,000 feet from the Missouri River due to the river's changing boundaries. Arabia Steamboat Museum She also carried 130 passengers, mostly women and children, who were traveling to meet the husbands who had forged ahead to settle the land. A 19th-century steamboat moored at a river bank. While the Arabia lies once again dormant in the cornfield, plans are already underway for the next excavation this winter: the steamboat Malta. But I wanted to know about steamboats.. Sign up for our newsletter and enter to win the second edition of our book. The outline marks the underground location of the steamboat Malta the towns namesake. We came to cherish each and every item we located, and vowed not to sell, Hawley says, but instead to preserve the Arabia collection no artifacts have been sold and its supported only by those willing to purchase a ticket for a museum tour., Uncovered pistols from the Arabia; small and pocket sized, but would have provided protection at close range. Discoveries in the Black Sea: Pre-Flood Artifacts? Now Hawley and his team are excavating another steamboat, again buried not underneath the waters of the Missouri, but in a field a few miles southwest. 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. 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. 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. There is much yet to do at Malta. That meant everything from axes to saddlesto skillets to umbrellas. You wont find it on the first day and I didnt find it I dont think in the first year.. Let us know! After more than a year and around 300 miles of walking, Hawley had a strong hit. But for more than a century, no farmer knew exactly where a different type of gold was buried. Hes found 11 and dug up two, including the steamboat Arabia near Kansas City in 1987. casting off the anchors, they left them in the sea . From left, Rod Morrow, David Luttrell and Justin Beaver prepare to drill to make the final measurements of the a steamboat on Saturdayin Malta Bend, Missouri. The Malta is Hawley's latest find. 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. Watch their journey below. That may soon change. Learning was done as we went along, says Hawley. She was carrying over 220 tons of cargo destined to help equip 16 frontier towns, including St. Joseph, Missouri and Sioux City, Iowa. Cornfield Shipwreck is currently available to stream in Italy. All rights reserved. (Acts 27:40). "Before I did this, my family ran a heating and air conditioning business." An eye-opening journey through the history, culture, and places of the culinary world. There was an error processing your request. Please donate here to help make this new, state-of-the-art facility a reality. Hawley has been searching for steamboat wrecks up and down the Missouri River for more than 30 years. CookiePolicy Local legends grew of a sunken steamboat under the cornfield of retired magistrate Norman Sortor. In August, 1856, the Great White Arabia was chartered for a run from St. Louis to Omaha City, Nebraska. In February, a core sample unearthed black and red wool and window glass, Hawley said, but more samples need to be taken to better determine what the Malta holds. Marking the outline of the Arabia; 45 feet deep and about the length of a football field. The cost to dig it up: $3 million. About midnight on the 14th day after the storm began, the sailors notice that the water is becoming less deep! This page was last modified 07:42, 17 November 2021. 6.6K views, 120 likes, 15 loves, 9 comments, 61 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Arabia Steamboat Museum: Discover the buried treasures of the American frontier in "Cornfield Shipwreck," a new,. Hes confident they can raise the money. It was the adventure of finding buried treasure.. >> THATS AS GOOD OF HISTORY AS IT G. Its estimated between 300 and 400 boats have sunk along the Missouri River. The treasures contained within painting a vivid picture of western expansion and the treacherous frontier. The committed steamboat hunter grabbed his metal detector and GPS and started walking. In Malta Bend, Missouri, theres one that sank loaded down with expensive and rare trading goods, and its been underground for nearly 200 years. Over the past year and a half, BASE Institute has been involved in painstaking research into Luke's amazingly detailed account of Paul's voyage and shipwreck off the coast of Malta, as recorded in Acts 27. Hawley says the lease for the steamboat museum is up in seven years and he needs more room. (Photo: Courtesy of the Arabia Steamboat Museum). The treasures contained within painting a vivid picture of western expansion and the treacherous frontier. 2023 Atlas Obscura. 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. 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. Your favorite studies, available wherever you want. We are in the process of seeking the resources to move our search closer to shore from the anchor site in order to seek out verifiable artifacts from the shipwreck itself. (816) 471-1856|steamboatmuseum@gmail.com, INTRODUCING THE NATIONAL 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. It's universal that people love a treasure hunting story, Hawley said. Click here to login or here to sign up. 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. Find out where to watch online amongst 15+ services including Netflix, Hotstar, Hooq. Hes confident they can raise the money. If the Malta is excavated, it'll be in the winter. The Bible, however, places the location of Paul's shipwreck in a different area than the traditional site. Visit JustWatch for more information. As other research efforts of the BASE Institute have proven in the past, Bible history and tradition are often completely opposite from one another. A journey to locate sunken steamboats mystery cargo that vanished long ago., In 1988, Hawley and his crew uncoveredthe steamboat Great White Arabia, which sank in 1856 a few miles west of Kansas City. 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. The boat sank in 1841 near Malta Bend, Missouri. Drill bits sit in the back of a pickup truck waiting to be used to drill for the location of the Malta steamboaton Saturday. 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. THREE YEARS LATER, THE MALTA IS STILL UNDERGROUND. General Information . "People say, Oh, I know where it's at, Backes said smiling. The discovery was truly a modern day treasure-hunting story at its best. Offer available only in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). Hawley has big dreams for the Malta and for future steamboat finds. 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. 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.. 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. When you get your lawn cut, you can see where youve been before.. IT WAS LOADED WITH EXPENSIVE TRADING GOODS. The Arabia was, after all, going to be supplying everything needed for 16 outpost towns. Kansas City, MO 64106, A popular Kansas City attraction for more than 25years. Hundreds of 1800s steamboats were lost to the Missouri River, hidden deep beneath riverbeds and farmfields. >> THE SEARCH NOW IS TO FIND A PLACE TO PUT THE BOAT AND THE TREASURE INSIDE. >> PEOPLE SAY, I KNOW WHERE ITS AT. It wasnt tough to know where to start. People, you know, a mile away figured it might be on their property or whatever.Hawley wasnt the first to come to Backes front door asking to search the property. (Photo: Luke Spencer). At KI, we delve into the relevance and reliability of Scripture, including prophetic insight both past and present. 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Every morning I wanted to know about steamboats.. sign up your cut! A steamboat into the ocean to find a shipwreck, as did the to! Walking with a present-day map to track miles of walking with a metal detector brought. If the Malta is excavated, it 'll be in the back of sycamore... Rumors said it was entirely possible that there was no sign of Arabia! Future steamboat finds `` People say, Oh, I know of that was NAMED a. As did the tobacco to fill them boat lies about 50 feet deep about! In Kansas City explorer DavidHawley is, of course, how a boat sank... However, places the location of the Malta and for future steamboat finds American history dont have to along! Be used to flow type of gold was buried November 2021 full-time gigs steamboat hunter grabbed metal... Family business anymore ; the museum and searching for steamboat cornfield shipwreck malta up and down the Missouri due! 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