Last Stop, Independence
Cobblestone American History Magazine for Kids|October 2023
For many Oregon Trail pioneers, Independence, Missouri, was the last stop in the United States. Soon after it was founded in 1827, the waterfront town became a strategic city on the Missouri River.
Leslie Anderson Morales
Last Stop, Independence

Independence was the farthest point west on the river. The Oregon Trail began just across the river in present-day Kansas. Every spring, thousands of pioneers arrived in the city by land and by boat. They camped on the prairies for days or weeks before their wagon trains set out. Thousands of mules and oxen grazed in the fields. It was smelly and noisy. It was so crowded that one pioneer spent four days trying to find the friends with whom he was hoping to travel.

People gathered in the streets to discuss their plans. Hand-painted signs advertised cures for snakebite and food poisoning. Galloping horses stirred up clouds of dust on the dirt roads as their riders hurried to buy supplies. On the town square, blacksmiths banged and clanged 18 hours a day.

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