Alfred Jacob Miller was 27-years-old when Scotsman Capt. William
Drummond Stewart visited his Baltimore studio in 1837. Stewart
thought his upcoming journey into the American West might be his
last so he wanted an artist who could travel with him and record
the scenes they would see together. With strong support from his
family and wealthy residents of Baltimore, Miller had freedom to
work on his art unhindered with the concern about how to pay his
bills. After some discussion, Steward and Drummond decided to
set off in the spring of 1837 from Independence, Mo., headed for
the fur traders’ rendezvous that would occur on the Green River
in what would become western Wyoming. Their route would later be
used by travelers to Oregon Country over the Oregon Trail.
Independence and the Wayne City Landing (also called
Independence Landing) saw thousands of emigrants embark on their
own journeys west on the trails to Oregon and California. Here,
too, tons of goods were unloaded from steamboats and transferred
to wagons