Steamship Arabia Museum

What material possessions did the people of the 1850’s consume? Was it the stubbornly embedded image of flour, tin plates, and shabby clothing? This question is easily answered by students with a resounding, yes. They have been given this image by uniformed teachers, stereotypical media, and entrenched family mythology. There is hope however, students and teachers need only pack up and drive mere miles to Kansas City Missouri to the City Market and take a tour of the Steamboat Arabia Museum, click on link for further information. This amazing collection of pre-Civil War artifacts is without rival. And when you visit the museum you are confronted and confounded with your stereotypes and preconceived notions of the West. The settlers of the West consumed many strange and exotic products that show their connection with the rest of the world. From fine china to sardines and rubber overshoes these settlers were not the disconnected bumpkins of the stories from our past, but were in fact people who were as materialistic as many of us today. This is a must see for anyone teaching in Northeast Kansas.