Missouri steamboat treasure in a farmer's field

Darren in NC

Silver Member
Apr 1, 2004
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Tesoro Sand Shark, Homebuilt pulse loop
Primary Interest:
Shipwrecks
Well, here's another one I'll likely never go after. So many projects, so little time.

The CW Sombart caught on fire near St. Louis in 1859. All the passengers and crew escaped. Some of the newspaper accounts say that all the cargo was consumed in the fire. (Never trust everything the newspapers say.) There is no mention of gold or silver of any kind in the newspaper accounts (that comes later). In 1881, massive flooding of the Mississippi River rerouted the river's course in the area where the steamboat sank. The bend of the river where she sank became a farmer's field and is still the case today.

In 1906, the Kansas State Historical Society mentions that the boat was carrying "a large sum of gold and silver money, which was never recovered." In the same paragraph, it mentions that the captain is still living at Boonsville, and speaks about the boat. Thus, my assumption is that he is the source of the information. “She was never fast, but a good carrier and money-maker” sounds like a man reminiscing. The paragraph also states it was sunk at the mouth of the Saline River, something never mentioned anywhere else. Note the photo with the Saline ferry. All other earlier accounts state she was burning a few miles north of St. Louis and later mentions Bissell's Point. You can see the old riverbed path on Google Earth. One article says divers found her in 30 feet below the water on her side.

A good magnetometer and some patience could yield quite a find. No one will know the actual amount lost until it's found. Be sure to ask permission from the land owners. Even better to work with the Arabia Steamboat Museum out of Kansas City. Also, keep in mind that a letter of approval must be secured from the Corps of Engineers regarding any excavation work near the Mississippi River, even if it's on private land. Happy hunting!
 

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Well, here's another one I'll likely never go after. So many projects, so little time.

The CW Sombart caught on fire near St. Louis in 1859. All the passengers and crew escaped. Some of the newspaper accounts say that all the cargo was consumed in the fire. (Never trust everything the newspapers say.) There is no mention of gold or silver of any kind in the newspaper accounts (that comes later). In 1881, massive flooding of the Mississippi River rerouted the river's course in the area where the steamboat sank. The bend of the river where she sank became a farmer's field and is still the case today.

In 1906, the Kansas State Historical Society mentions that the boat was carrying "a large sum of gold and silver money, which was never recovered." In the same paragraph, it mentions that the captain is still living at Boonsville, and speaks about the boat. Thus, my assumption is that he is the source of the information. “She was never fast, but a good carrier and money-maker” sounds like a man reminiscing. The paragraph also states it was sunk at the mouth of the Saline River, something never mentioned anywhere else. Note the photo with the Saline ferry. All other earlier accounts state she was burning a few miles north of St. Louis and later mentions Bissell's Point. You can see the old riverbed path on Google Earth. One article says divers found her in 30 feet below the water on her side.

A good magnetometer and some patience could yield quite a find. No one will know the actual amount lost until it's found. Be sure to ask permission from the land owners. Even better to work with the Arabia Steamboat Museum out of Kansas City. Also, keep in mind that a letter of approval must be secured from the Corps of Engineers regarding any excavation work near the Mississippi River, even if it's on private land. Happy hunting!
Great story great tip. thanks for sharing.

Crow
 

Thanks Crow. My research focuses on vessels not found in treasure books. I hope someone in the area can make a good project out of it.
 

This link gives a little background on how two treasure hunters named Sam Corbino and Jesse Pursell located the steamboat Bertand back in 1968. The steamboat Bertrand sank in 1865
I was fortunate to visit the little museum west of Blair, Nebraska some time ago and it only cost me 3 bucks to go in to see the display of artifacts recovered from the wreck that was found under 25 feet of silt in the old river channel of 1865. I posted my visit here in treasurenet.
 

This link gives a little background on how two treasure hunters named Sam Corbino and Jesse Pursell located the steamboat Bertand back in 1968. The steamboat Bertrand sank in 1865
I was fortunate to visit the little museum west of Blair, Nebraska some time ago and it only cost me 3 bucks to go in to see the display of artifacts recovered from the wreck that was found under 25 feet of silt in the old river channel of 1865. I posted my visit here in treasurenet.
For bottle lovers like me there is a great book on the bottles recovered on Bertrand.
 

For bottle lovers like me there is a great book on the bottles recovered on Bertrand.

The Bertrand Bottles: A Study of 19th-century Glass and Ceramic Containers available on Google books I believe. This is a great dating guide, it was used in my grad school archaeology class.​

 

There are only two museums I'm aware of that display finds from recovered steamboats. The Bertrand and Arabia. The Bertrand display is gov't funded, while the Arabia is privately funded. Does anyone know of any others, even if small, municipal ones?

 

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