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Discover Mid-America — February 2005

KC Treasure came from a cornfield

Although it has been nearly two decades since the Hawley family of Independence, MO, began their search for “buried treasure” along the Missouri River, Greg Hawley's book Treasure in a Cornfield, The Discovery and Excavation of the Steamboat Arabia (Paddle Wheel Publishing, 224 pages, Hardback, $23.95) published in 1998, remains an exciting memoir of their adventure.

What began as a treasure hunt for marketable artifacts became a mission to preserve an important part of our history and communicate it to the world in the form of a private museum.

The Hawleys operate a refrigeration business in Independence. Conservative, religious and hardworking, the family has nurtured an adventurous spirit for years, spending vacations in Colorado exploring ghost towns and gold mines.

In the 1980s, Dave, the older brother, suggested the idea of searching for buried steamboats. Bob, the family patriarch, shared the idea with Jerry Markey, an Independence restaurant owner and close friend. Greg participated in the idea sessions, which soon expanded into many hours of research and exploration of sunken steamboat sites in brushy wetlands alongside the Missouri River.

After many failures, the searchers located some wrecks, and did core drilling to verify the cargoes. Most boats proved to be unsuitable for salvage or poorly located. The “Great White Arabia” was last on the list. Its location and cargo looked promising.

The Arabia lay beneath a Kansas cornfield, where the river had flowed in 1856. Shortly after it left Kansas City with a cargo of household provisions for Nebraska settlers, it came to grief. Pierced by a walnut snag, it sank in minutes, its passengers fleeing to nearby Parkville. Over the years, treasure-seekers tried to salvage its “treasure” of Kentucky whiskey and mercantile goods, but failed. Core drilling convinced the Hawleys to go after the Arabia.

When they began their research, the Hawley team intended to invest as much as $60,000. They assembled an “arsenal of equipment” in October and November 1988, and contracted to have the water pumped from the excavation. By early December, the cost reached nearly $250,000. Other friends and relatives invested $150,000, and they pressed on in the freezing cold and mud, recovering an estimated 200 tons of artifacts by Feb. 9, 1989.

Thousands of shoes, clothing, buttons, trade beads, utensils, fine china, stoneware, preserved food, building materials, tools, guns, candles and household furnishings that failed to reach the Nebraska frontier would now be preserved for restoration. Wives and other family members pitched in to clean and restore artifacts.

As the team removed boxes from the back of the Arabia's hold, ground water poured into the excavation. Within seconds, muddy water that had been knee-deep was submerging Greg and his dad, who had to scramble to save their lives. His heart still pounding, Greg returned to his home late at night, and fell into bed. His wife was only half-awake when he arrived, but was awakened later by Greg thrashing in his sleep and yelling about “water pouring in.” When she finally shook him awake, he was climbing onto the headboard of their bed.

By the time they surrendered the Arabia to its cornfield grave, the team was exhausted and deeply in debt. But their goals had changed: they were no longer treasure hunters, but salvagers and soon-to-be exhibitors of pioneer Americana. It would change their lives forever.

Hawley described his feelings: “Excavating the Arabia was like shaking hands with the pioneers. I had gone beyond the mere written words of history. I had met my forefathers through the items most precious in their lives. I had seen them through their innovative technology and fine craftsmanship. I had looked upon them in color through their fashionable clothing and decorative fabrics. I had filled my lungs with their aromas of tobacco, spices and perfume, and tasted their champagne. I had held in my arms the bones of a drowned mule and bones of a meal never eaten. By excavating the steamboat Arabia and its westbound cargo, I had come to know and understand my ancestors for the first time.”

The family continued to invest borrowed funds and thousands of hours as the facility took shape in Kansas City¹s City Market, opening to the public on Nov. 13, 1991.

“We had accomplished what many predicted impossible,” Hawley wrote. “Using unconventional methods of design and construction, we successfully established the Arabia Steamboat Museum without public or government funds.”

For more details about the Museum, call 816-471-4030 or visit www.1856.com.

Discover Mid-America founder and Senior Contributing Editor Ken Weyand files regular reports on notable Midwest destinations. He can be reached at kweyand@gbronline.com.

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