Sunken Pittsburgh Steamboat Found In Missouri Field
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A lost Pittsburgh treasure has been discovered in a Missouri farm field.
According to a news release the Steamboat Malta of Pittsburgh, which sank on the Missouri River in 1841, is believed to be lying under a farmer's field near Malta Bend.
The town was named for the sunken boat.
Reports say the Malta may still contain a vast collection of trade goods "unlike any other in the world."
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The steamboat was carrying goods for the American Fur Company when it hit a tree snag on August 8, 1841 and sank. Newspapers reported that "probably no boat ever went to the bottom so quickly on the river."
A recovery drill has been used to confirm the existence of cargo.
David Hawley with the Arabia Steamboat Museum hopes that an excavation in winter 2016-2017 will yield artifacts that tell a rich story of frontier life. He also said that this ship will likely not be the last discovered.
"The Missouri River and her banks are home to hundreds of undiscovered shipwrecks," Hawley said.