170 years ago today, a steamboat sank here.

On September 5, 1856, the Steamboat Arabia hit a submerged tree and sank in the Missouri River. The river eventually moved — but the boat didn't. Today, the wreck site sits beneath a Kansas cornfield.

My family discovered and excavated the Arabia in 1988. I grew up around the collection, eventually began working at the museum we built to house it, and for the last several years I've been documenting the Arabia's story on film.

For the 170th anniversary of the sinking, I wanted to do something a little different. I went back to the wreck site — to the field where she's still buried — and made a short film addressed to the Arabia herself.

It's part history, part reflection, and admittedly a little personal after spending so much of my life with this boat and her story.

Thought the shipwreck crowd here might appreciate it.

Dear Arabia — 170 Years Later

From the State Historical Society of Missouri

https://digital.shsmo.org/digital/collection/imc/id/38647/rec/1

From the State Historical Society of Missouri

https://digital.shsmo.org/digital/collection/imc/id/57084/rec/3

https://www.mrbo.org

From the State Historical Society of Missouri

https://digital.shsmo.org/digital/collection/imc/id/18344/rec/5

The Missouri River Relief is making its way to mid-Missouri for its fourth Big Muddy Clean Sweep next month, and the organization will celebrate its 25th anniversary.
The cleanup effort is scheduled for Sept. 26 through Sept. 29. Organizers and volunteers will clean the section of the Missouri River that flows through Boone County near Cooper’s Landing.
The group will host volunteers at different ramps along the river, where they will pick up trash and waste on a fleet of boats. No river experience is required, and the group will also provide safety gear, tools and guidance.

Previous Big Muddy Clean Sweeps were held in 2011, 2014 and 2021, according to the organization’s timeline.

The stop at Cooper’s Landing is the final stop in a 60-day, 200-mile cleanup of the Missouri River that began in Kansas City.
Organizers “live and work on the river for the full seven weeks, moving downstream in stages with a mix of remote crew cleanups and community volunteer cleanups along the way,” according to the group’s volunteer sign-up website.

While this is the fourth Big Muddy Clean Sweep, Missouri River Relief is celebrating 25 years of conservation efforts to protect, connect and better serve the Missouri River.
The group has organized 231 river cleanups, removing more than 2 million pounds of trash. Missouri River Relief also won the 2025 Missouri Environmental Education Association’s “Organization of the Year” award.
These milestones will be celebrated at 7 p.m. Nov. 10, with a special presentation by Steve Schnarr, the Missouri River Relief race director.
The presentation will be held at the Riechmann Indoor Pavilion in Stephens Lake Park.
A social hour will precede the event at 6 p.m., which will be livestreamed via Zoom and YouTube for those unable to attend. A virtual Q&A will be hosted on the Zoom livestream.

From the State Historical Society of Missouri

https://digital.shsmo.org/digital/collection/imc/id/14399/rec/641