A visit to the museum is a glimpse into the past. The Arabia's collection reveals details of frontier life seen nowhere else. A museum tour is partially guided, introducing visitors to the Arabia's history and sinking, with a short video presentation of the remarkable excavation.
The 6-ton stern section of the boat is on display, carefully preserved, with draft marks and some original white paint still visible. A full-sized reproduction of the boat's main deck shows visitors the grand scale of a steamboat, with the Arabia's huge boilers and steam engine in place. A 28-foot paddlewheel turns in a pool of water, alongside the final resting place of the mule skeleton - the only life lost in the Arabia's sinking.
Arabia Steamboat Museum - 400 Grand Blvd - Kansas City, Mo. 64106 - (816) 471-1856
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