The steamer Osage docked at Independence during the afternoon of Saturday, April 29. Other steamboats lined the shore unloading their cargoes of manufactured goods, foodstuffs, and Indian trade goods. Some emigrants rolled their wagons down gangplanks, while others reassembled theirs on the dock. A few wagons already had canvas white-tops, but most did not. These additional trail accouterments could be acquired in town. Emigrants and emigrant baggage were everywhere. Stevedores continued to move massive quantities of cargo while drovers unloaded braying livestock and moved them to a holding pen near the dock. The scene appeared to be mass confusion and pandemonium, yet order prevailed within the madness. People knew where they were going.
All around Abby teamsters loaded a variety of wagons belonging to local merchants with cargoes destined for traders, trappers, adventurers, speculators, emigrants, and of course, the local population. Roustabouts located Abby’s trunks and placed them on the dock. Before paying these laborers, she questioned them about transportation up to the city of Independence and the availability of overnight accommodations. One roustabout quickly secured the services of a hack and its teamster, directing him to take Abby and her belongings to Hannah Greer’s Boarding House. Mrs. Greer was a good woman who could provide lodging and meals for Abby during her stay in Independence.
The steep road up to Independence flattened out into rolling hills of row crops and pastureland. The town itself lay six miles from the wharf and twelve miles from the western state line, which signaled the start of Indian Territory. While riding up from the wharf, Abby received some comfort in viewing the small farms and homes of town merchants. They reminded her of the rural communities back in Greene County. In addition to the farms she could see hundreds of cattle, several dozen wagons, and a number of families camped out on the prairie west of Independence. Abby drank in the exhilarating scene as she contemplated her upcoming adventure.
The emigrant wagons appeared to be typical farm wagons, with the addition of a canvas white-top fitted over five to seven hoops. Some wagons displayed only hoops without a canvas white-top cover, at least for now. The wide expanse of prairie framed a pastoral, tranquil scene of people sitting around campfires and cattle, oxen, horses, mules, and donkeys grazing on the surrounding prairie. The only activity came from children playing around the wagons.
Upon arrival at Hannah Greer’s the teamster unloaded Abby’s trunks and carried them up to the porch. Hannah Greer was a stout woman of forty years, muscular, and with a strong voice but a soft kind face. Her brown hair, haphazardly tied up with various strands, fell down around her ears and face. Her husband had died several years earlier, and she now made a living by taking in boarders. She wore a print dress with a well-stained, blue bib apron. As Abby climbed down from the hack, Hannah smiled and offered a boisterous greeting.
“Welcome to the finest home in Independence!” Abby smiled back while Hannah wiped her hands on her apron, surveying her new tenant.
“I have straw mattress beds and hot meals twice a day. If you want a bath, Mrs. Skow down at the general store will let you bathe in her new tub for half price as long as you’re staying here with me. There’s a washtub out back if you need to do your laundry. I charge two dollars a day, including meals.”
After sixteen days on two different steamboats, the warmth of a home and the kindness of this woman were a welcome change. Abby quickly pulled four dollars from her cloth drawstring purse and gave it to Hannah.
“I will stay two nights and maybe more. I have many questions about outfitting for a trip to Oregon and hope you can advise me on such a venture.”
Hannah quickly responded, “Where’s your husband? I charge an extra dollar as long as you both use the same bed.”
Abby smiled with a look of independence and determination. “I’m traveling alone, Mrs. Greer. I’m going to Oregon to become a schoolteacher.”
Hannah’s smile disappeared when Abby said “alone.” Her face grew pale and perplexed, and she wondered if this young woman had lost her mind.
“Oregon! You can’t go to Oregon by yourself. You’ll need a wagon, and stock, and a man to handle them. Why, girly, you wouldn’t get past the Kansas River. You get those trunks inside, and tonight at dinner I’ll talk some sense into you.”
Her comments did not affect Abby. She simply smiled back, knowing that the opinion of this one woman could not alter her determination.