Keith's favorite thing about the 19th century is Lewis and Clark's expedition, and that's WELL represented on the internet:
Discovering Lewis & ClarkLewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery
Lewis & Clark, National Geographic's site
Lewis & Clark Expedition , on Wikipedia, lists all the members of the expedition in a cool way
There is a museum in Kansas City documenting the discovery and salvage of a riverboat that sunk in 1856. Arabia Steamship Museum
There was no cake, but there were jars of cherry pie filling, bottles of wine, pickles, TONS of materials headed to general stores up the Missouri River, and it sank with the cargo all there. "Like a 19th century Walmart," one of the films at the museum said. Hardware, clothing, household goods, perfume, pens and ink, tools... It's panorama of everyday things, and the story of the dig is wonderfully fun.
Or these papers: (Click them for more information.)
click the pictures to know everything.