The Missouri Yields a Ceramic Treasure Trove: The Cargo of The Great White Arabia

America expanded westward in the 19th century by foot, in wagons, by horseback and sometimes, by the river routes. Here is a story that took place on the Missouri River 150+ years ago.

The Great White Arabia was a 171-foot steamer built in 1853 in Pennsylvania. It eventually wound up doing business on the treacherous Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. In St. Louis in 1856, she was headed upstream for the new frontier, stopping to load cargo in what is now Kansas City. Just a few miles after leaving the docks in Kansas City, she hit a submerged ‘snag’ or tree in the river; her hull was gashed and the ship sank quickly.

Read about the closing of the Steamship Arabia Museum in Kansas City, MO.