Missouri Mayhem: Mystery & Murder with Mindy & Megan! · Megan Owens & Mindy Johnson

The Steamboats of Missouri - Steamboat Arabia & Steamboat Malta

·31 min·2 clips

Digging up the Arabia revealed sealed champagne, soft leather shoes, and working guns.

Mindy and Megan begin by thanking listeners and noting that the holidays have them recording several stories ahead of time. Christmas comes up almost immediately. Mindy is not especially into it, while Megan leans more into the season, though both notice the stretch between Thanksgiving and Christmas can mean too much food, too much baking, and not enough breathing room. From there, the episode shifts into Missouri river history. The Arabia was built in 1853 and, by 1856, had already built a strong reputation. It carried boots, beads, guns, food, medicine, china, nails, and the many supplies pioneers depended on. A Kansas City newspaper even called it one of the fastest, handsomest, and most faithful boats on the river. That praise does not help on September 5, 1856. The Arabia leaves the Kansas City port loaded with more than 200 tons of cargo. There are 130 people on board, including merchants, families, keelboat men, engineers, and cooks. It is headed toward Parkville, Missouri, but the crew cannot see the danger below the surface. A huge cottonwood tree has broken loose from the riverbank and sunk into the channel. Rivermen call that kind of hazard a snag. The boat slams into it, and a survivor later describes the impact like the hand of God grabbing the vessel. The hull splits like an eggshell. The ending adds a note about the museum in Kansas City, which is looking for a new home before its lease expires in November 2026.

As heard by us

Holiday banter eases into a vivid steamboat Arabia wreck story.

The episode begins with holiday talk, then settles into the story of the steamboat Arabia, covering its 1853 build, the September 5, 1856 wreck near Parkville, Missouri, and the hidden cottonwood snag that split the hull after the boat left Kansas City with more than 200 tons of…

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Why you'd press play

You want a river wreck with cargo lists and holiday chaos in the margins.

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