POINT LOOKOUT, MO. — On March 26, School of the Ozarks eighth grade students took their annual trip to Kansas City, Missouri, to explore various collections and artifacts from the westward expansion and Civil War. This trip helped students gain a better understanding of the everyday items people used during that era. Additionally, they learned how historians gather information to locate and uncover such discoveries.

The School of the Ozarks students had an opportunity to take a guided tour of the discovery and excavation of the Steamboat Arabia, a ship that sank on the Missouri River in 1856 while loaded with 200 tons of goods headed to supply outposts for wagon trains and general stores on the Western Frontier. Additionally, students also had an opportunity to ask questions and talk with preservationists and see the lab work of preservation in progress. 

Jerry Martin, School of the Ozarks eighth grade instructor, highlighted the area in which he believed the students gained a better understanding.

“The students uncover what life was like in an era that they have studied,” Martin said. “Additionally, it is right in their back yard, not some far off place in a textbook.”

This trip helps students better understand the history of the American citizens who came before them.

“One of the School of the Ozarks core values is patriotism, and I think it shows the resolve and perseverance of Americans and immigrants searching for a better life,” Martin said. “I believe it builds a sense of pride in what Americans can do, and what they can overcome when faced with significant hardships. Culture and vocation fit together with the discovery of items that everyday Americans and immigrants used that paint a picture of what life was like in the 1850s.”

The above press release is from the College of the Ozarks.