The Arabia was a side-wheel steamer, carrying passengers and cargo on a regular route and schedule. At 171 feet long and capable of carrying 222 tons, she was a medium-sized boat. Her trade route took her well into present-day South Dakota.

On September 5th, 1856 6 days after departing St. Louis heavily loaded with freight and passengers, the Arabia reached Kansas City, Mo. Following a short stopover the side-wheeler was again underway to her intended destinations. A short distance upstream was the town of Parkville, Mo. But the Arabia would never arrive. During the night, the steamer struck a sunken "snag", below the surface of the river. Within minutes much of the boat and virtually all 222 tons of precious frontier cargo lay at the bottom of the Missouri River.

The river bottom was soft, and the boat and cargo sank quickly into the mud and silt. The boat held merchandise bound for frontier stores, and personal belongings of the passengers. Eventually, all evidence of the Arabia was erased from view. Seasonal flooding covered the site, and in its wake was deposited layer upon layer of rich, black topsoil.

After nearly a century, using old river maps and a metal detector to guide the effort, Bob Hawley, his sons David and Greg, Jerry Mackey found the wreck lying over a one-half mile from the river's edge and buried 45 feet underground. Before the dig was complete, a total of 20 wells were operating around the clock, removing as much as 20,000 gallons of water every minute from the ground.

A rubber overshoe was the first of thousands of exciting discoveries from the sunken ship. Boxes, barrels and crates of frontier merchandise held both the necessities and the luxuries available in 1856, now on display in the Steamboat Arabia museum.