I thought maybe we would have a winter that wasn't, like last year, but now we are dipping down into the 20s and 30s, and they tell me the Snowstorm to End All Snowstorms is coming on Thursday. I have always preferred having four seasons, so I am not sad to see some snow (especially because we are still in a drought!), but it does put a dent in visiting outdoor historic sites.
What's a history nerd to do? How might I get my fix? When PBS and Netflix documentaries just aren't doing it anymore, I do like to get out of the house and hit the local museums (aside from the museum I work at, which I see every day). Some of them are closed in January (either because they don't have the funding to keep staff on during their slowest season, or because they are doing maintenance and repairs), but most of them are up and running again by February. Hours can be limited though, so always be sure to check websites or call ahead of time.
One of my favorite local museums is usually open year-round, though they did close for a couple of weeks to give themselves a little polishing and makeover! The Arabia Steamboat Museum, located in the River Market in Kansas City, MO, is a personal favorite of mine, and somewhere I always take out of town guests. One of the many fun things about this particular museum is that the displays are always changing. Not in huge, obvious ways...as they clean and preserve more items from the steamboat, they add them here and there in the museum, and it is always fun to spot a new treasure. This is truly a "working" museum, and often some of the conservators are on site, working on their latest project in the observation area.
The full story of the steamboat is on the site linked above, but here is my Reader's Digest version:
One of the most popular modes of transportation in the mid 19th century was the steamboat. Many passengers heading out West to make a new life for themselves chose this method of travel, and the Missouri River was one of the main arteries. However, the Missouri River was also notoriously difficult to navigate due to sharp turns, shallow areas, sandbars, and trees hidden underwater ("snags"). The Arabia was 3 years old and already well traveled when she caught one of these snags and went down in 1856. No human lives were lost (though the mule bones always make me sad!), but most of the cargo was unrecoverable. The story of how the boat was found and salvaged is just as interesting as the story of the boat itself, so be sure to watch the movie at the beginning of the tour!
I could stand and look at the beautiful household goods (they may have been on the frontier, but they weren't living sparsely!) and clothing all day, but don't fall into the same trap! :) Be sure to check out the storefront, and smell the perfume...and look at the steamboat menus. I can't say calf head and beef heart are my personal favorites, but to each his own.
It is very easy to spend a whole day down in the River Market. This area is part of the original French settlement, and later American settlement, that became Kansas City (don't worry, I'll get to that in a later post!), and there is still history to be found. If you walk north on main street, you'll end up at the overlook on the Missouri River (much tamed since the steamboat days), and can then wander east along the Riverfront Heritage Trail through Richard L. Berkeley Riverfront Park (site of festivals during warmer months). If you get there at the right time, you can see a train going over the ASB vertical lift bridge (talk about a contrast, from steamboats to 21st century trains!). The City Market in the River Market is open every Saturday and Sunday year round, but there are also restaurants and stores open daily. http://www.kcrivermarket.com/index.php/home
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