I’ve also seen this area referred to as River Market. We spent a couple of hours soaking up all the exhibits at the Arabia Steamboat Museum. The Arabia sank in 1856 and was excavated in the 1980s. The museum provided a fascinating insight into the goods being shipped by steamboat into the Midwest — a huge amount of the cargo was recovered, restored, and put on display.

If you are nearby and interested in the period, you’d better plan on going soon as the museum is closing in November 2026.

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