The Arcola was built in 1856 as a sidewheel St. Croix riverboat at Brownsville, Pennsylvania. The gross tonnage of the vessel was measured at 176. There is little record of activity for the Arcola specifically, however, the St. Croix River was traversed by all kinds of people throughout the nineteenth century. The Palmyra was the first steamboat on the St. Croix in 1838. The popularity of these vessels rose and peaked in the late century. Steamboats with sidewheel propulsion were especially efficient for river travel because they were able to carry a lot of cargo in shallow water. On the St. Croix, this cargo was primarily lumber.
Minnesotan winters have always been tough for water transportation, as the lakes and rivers freeze over and render most vessels helpless until thaw. In spring, the city of St. Paul would give free wharfage for the boating season to the first boat to arrive from south. This operated as incentive for early season navigation and allowed lingering ice on the river to be broken up. On April 2, 1857, the captain of the Arcola was one of many to idle his ship in Lake Pepin, waiting for the ice to go out. When the ice shifted, it cut the steamer in half. It sank a half mile above Pepin, Wisconsin.
The Arcola was reportedly lost in Lake Pepin, a half mile above Pepin, Wisconsin. The Lytle-Holdcamper list states that it was sunk near Reeds Landing, Minnesota. The exact location and condition of the Arcola wreck have not yet been confirmed by archaeological investigation.