People traveled by steamboat up the Missouri River to Independence, where overland journeys on the Santa Fe, Oregon, and California trails began. Between March and November, steamboats passed by or stopped daily at the Independence landings of Blue Mills and Wayne City. With little commercial competition on the frontier, Independence dominated as the favored trail outfitting place until about 1850. Tens of thousands of fur trappers, traders, emigrants, and gold seekers passed through Independence from across the United States and the world in search of new opportunities in the West. Commerce relied on eastern-made goods being transported to Santa Fe, while merchants hauled Mexican-produced goods, silver, and gold back to Independence along the 800-mile Santa Fe Trail. Travelers bound for the West bought supplies there for the five-month, 2,000-mile trek along the Oregon and California trails, making their final preparations for a journey across the prairie wilderness.