I'm trying to recall a story title. This would have first appeared before 1965.

A women and her children are preparing to leave earth for a colony in space, or possibly on another planet. I believe the departure point is Independance, Missouri but not certain - I DO recall that it was a location that had figured prominently in the American westward expansion. The day before leaving they wander around the town, reflecting on the parallels (like how the freighter rocket is similar to a conestoga wagon; how the men have gone before to establish a homestead; how they are leaving conveniences for a spartan existence; etc).

The story concludes with a "phone call" from her husband, far away at the colony. But the communication is disrupted, leaving the words "I love you." drifting off thru space . . .

"The Wilderness", found in The Golden Apples of the Sun.

Yes, I believe that's it!! Thank you! I'll verify that when I get home this evening.

(I first encountered it in a High School English class, circa 1967. It was in our textbook, but the teacher made a point of skipping over it in class. She commented to the effect that because it was a "science fiction story" it really wasn't up to the quality of other selections in the book.

I was too naive to take the hint. A homework assignment directed us to compare one of our assigned stories to a related unassigned story, taken from a long list. The Bradbury story appeared on the list, and it was pretty short (High School guys were no more industrious then than now) so I selected it for the assignment. Now I don't even recall what selection I was supposed to compare it to.

Given the teacher's comments I expected to read about strange monsters or incomprehensible, magical, technology. Instead I found people facing a task as old as humanity. They could have been Abraham setting out from Ur, Marco Polo going to Cathay, or Francis Parkman starting down the Oregon Trail. At that time I was fascinated by radio, Amateur Radio in particular, and the idea of words taking on some kind of existence as they drifted through the universe captured my imagination.

At any rate I didn't get a very good grade on the assignment. But whether out of spite, or because I have a low-quality intellect attracted to low-quality literature, or some more substantial reason, I still remember that story almost 40 years later.)