Amanda died at the age of 28 of cholera near Bridgeport, Nebraska, along the North Platt River, while traveling by wagon train to California. Of cholera it was said that a person could wake up in the morning feeling well and be in the grave by evening. She was the wife of M. J. Lamme of Marthasville, Warren County, Missouri, and the mother of 3 little girls, one of whom died before leaving on the trip to California. Her parents were Thomas C. and Anne R. (Wallace) Maupin.
On 19 Aug 2013, my husband and I visited Amanda's grave near Bridgeport, Nebraska. As we drove into the small town we somehow missed seeing the large historical marker that was beside the road (Rt. 92) and told of Amanda's death and burial. I can't imagine how we missed it because we were carefully searching for it. We spent about a half hour searching, even going to a local store and inquiring of local people. Finally we drove back in the direction of the location of the marker for about 4 or 5 miles and saw the marker. We spent another 20 to 30 minutes trying to see the original grave in the field behind the marker, even using binoculars, with no luck. Then suddenly a friendly lady (Tammi) appeared on the road on a 4-wheeler. She stopped and we asked about the grave. She said that she knew where the grave was and that she had to go round up some cattle and would be back in 15 minutes to take us to it. She came back and we rode on her 4-wheeler with her as she drove up the road about a half-mile then headed across the very overgrown prairie. It was a trip of at least 15 minutes plowing over large tree-like weeds. The grave was on the second or third small knoll at least a mile from the road (92) where we had started.
Amazingly the ruts of the covered wagons can still be seen curving away from the gravesite, heading on toward the West. How hard that must have been for her husband, children, and parents who were traveling with her.
If you stand directly in front of the gravestone on the side with Amanda's name, and look in a straight line above it, you can easily see the famous guide monuments, Courthouse & Jail Rock, across the plains in the distance. I feel that M.J. and the family probably chose the spot so it would always be locatable in line with those monuments.
The stone on Amanda's grave now is a large, tall white marble one, placed many years ago with money collected from local citizens, to replace the original stone put there by M. J., Amanda's husband, which had been vandalized. On one side it tells of this being the location of the Oregon Trail. On the other side it has Amanda's name with her last name spelled incorrectly as LAMIN and states that they were from Devonshire, England. (The large historical marker directly beside the road however, corrects the mistake in identity.)
I took along some stones and dirt from the Lamme family cemetery "back home" in Marthasville, MO. which I placed on Amanda's grave.
Visiting Amanda's grave, and seeing the trail of the wagons as they drove away and left her there so far from home on that big lonely prairie, was a very moving and meaningful experience for me. It seemed that the fact that Tammi showed up and took us to the grave on her 4-wheeler was too much to be "coincidence." The grave would be almost impossible to find unless you know where it is. The weeds growing on the prairie, although interspersed with beautiful purple flowers of wild pea plants, appeared very prohibitive for walking through for the mile plus to the grave. Tammi told us that some of them sting and burn the skin. Without Tammi, we could not have visited Amanda's grave.
Since returning home to Missouri, the Bridgeport Chamber of Commerce sent me an email telling me that the owner of the property is a very nice man who will not let anything happen to the gravesite.
On 19 Aug 2013, my husband and I visited Amanda's grave near Bridgeport, Nebraska. As we drove into the small town we somehow missed seeing the large historical marker that was beside the road (Rt. 92) and told of Amanda's death and burial. I can't imagine how we missed it because we were carefully searching for it. We spent about a half hour searching, even going to a local store and inquiring of local people. Finally we drove back in the direction of the location of the marker for about 4 or 5 miles and saw the marker. We spent another 20 to 30 minutes trying to see the original grave in the field behind the marker, even using binoculars, with no luck. Then suddenly a friendly lady (Tammi) appeared on the road on a 4-wheeler. She stopped and we asked about the grave. She said that she knew where the grave was and that she had to go round up some cattle and would be back in 15 minutes to take us to it. She came back and we rode on her 4-wheeler with her as she drove up the road about a half-mile then headed across the very overgrown prairie. It was a trip of at least 15 minutes plowing over large tree-like weeds. The grave was on the second or third small knoll at least a mile from the road (92) where we had started.
Amazingly the ruts of the covered wagons can still be seen curving away from the gravesite, heading on toward the West. How hard that must have been for her husband, children, and parents who were traveling with her.
If you stand directly in front of the gravestone on the side with Amanda's name, and look in a straight line above it, you can easily see the famous guide monuments, Courthouse & Jail Rock, across the plains in the distance. I feel that M.J. and the family probably chose the spot so it would always be locatable in line with those monuments.
The stone on Amanda's grave now is a large, tall white marble one, placed many years ago with money collected from local citizens, to replace the original stone put there by M. J., Amanda's husband, which had been vandalized. On one side it tells of this being the location of the Oregon Trail. On the other side it has Amanda's name with her last name spelled incorrectly as LAMIN and states that they were from Devonshire, England. (The large historical marker directly beside the road however, corrects the mistake in identity.)
I took along some stones and dirt from the Lamme family cemetery "back home" in Marthasville, MO. which I placed on Amanda's grave.
Visiting Amanda's grave, and seeing the trail of the wagons as they drove away and left her there so far from home on that big lonely prairie, was a very moving and meaningful experience for me. It seemed that the fact that Tammi showed up and took us to the grave on her 4-wheeler was too much to be "coincidence." The grave would be almost impossible to find unless you know where it is. The weeds growing on the prairie, although interspersed with beautiful purple flowers of wild pea plants, appeared very prohibitive for walking through for the mile plus to the grave. Tammi told us that some of them sting and burn the skin. Without Tammi, we could not have visited Amanda's grave.
Since returning home to Missouri, the Bridgeport Chamber of Commerce sent me an email telling me that the owner of the property is a very nice man who will not let anything happen to the gravesite.
Amanda died at the age of 28 of cholera near Bridgeport, Nebraska, along the North Platt River, while traveling by wagon train to California. Of cholera it was said that a person could wake up in the morning feeling well and be in the grave by evening. She was the wife of M. J. Lamme of Marthasville, Warren County, Missouri, and the mother of 3 little girls, one of whom died before leaving on the trip to California. Her parents were Thomas C. and Anne R. (Wallace) Maupin.
On 19 Aug 2013, my husband and I visited Amanda's grave near Bridgeport, Nebraska. As we drove into the small town we somehow missed seeing the large historical marker that was beside the road (Rt. 92) and told of Amanda's death and burial. I can't imagine how we missed it because we were carefully searching for it. We spent about a half hour searching, even going to a local store and inquiring of local people. Finally we drove back in the direction of the location of the marker for about 4 or 5 miles and saw the marker. We spent another 20 to 30 minutes trying to see the original grave in the field behind the marker, even using binoculars, with no luck. Then suddenly a friendly lady (Tammi) appeared on the road on a 4-wheeler. She stopped and we asked about the grave. She said that she knew where the grave was and that she had to go round up some cattle and would be back in 15 minutes to take us to it. She came back and we rode on her 4-wheeler with her as she drove up the road about a half-mile then headed across the very overgrown prairie. It was a trip of at least 15 minutes plowing over large tree-like weeds. The grave was on the second or third small knoll at least a mile from the road (92) where we had started.
Amazingly the ruts of the covered wagons can still be seen curving away from the gravesite, heading on toward the West. How hard that must have been for her husband, children, and parents who were traveling with her.
If you stand directly in front of the gravestone on the side with Amanda's name, and look in a straight line above it, you can easily see the famous guide monuments, Courthouse & Jail Rock, across the plains in the distance. I feel that M.J. and the family probably chose the spot so it would always be locatable in line with those monuments.
The stone on Amanda's grave now is a large, tall white marble one, placed many years ago with money collected from local citizens, to replace the original stone put there by M. J., Amanda's husband, which had been vandalized. On one side it tells of this being the location of the Oregon Trail. On the other side it has Amanda's name with her last name spelled incorrectly as LAMIN and states that they were from Devonshire, England. (The large historical marker directly beside the road however, corrects the mistake in identity.)
I took along some stones and dirt from the Lamme family cemetery "back home" in Marthasville, MO. which I placed on Amanda's grave.
Visiting Amanda's grave, and seeing the trail of the wagons as they drove away and left her there so far from home on that big lonely prairie, was a very moving and meaningful experience for me. It seemed that the fact that Tammi showed up and took us to the grave on her 4-wheeler was too much to be "coincidence." The grave would be almost impossible to find unless you know where it is. The weeds growing on the prairie, although interspersed with beautiful purple flowers of wild pea plants, appeared very prohibitive for walking through for the mile plus to the grave. Tammi told us that some of them sting and burn the skin. Without Tammi, we could not have visited Amanda's grave.
Since returning home to Missouri, the Bridgeport Chamber of Commerce sent me an email telling me that the owner of the property is a very nice man who will not let anything happen to the gravesite.
On 19 Aug 2013, my husband and I visited Amanda's grave near Bridgeport, Nebraska. As we drove into the small town we somehow missed seeing the large historical marker that was beside the road (Rt. 92) and told of Amanda's death and burial. I can't imagine how we missed it because we were carefully searching for it. We spent about a half hour searching, even going to a local store and inquiring of local people. Finally we drove back in the direction of the location of the marker for about 4 or 5 miles and saw the marker. We spent another 20 to 30 minutes trying to see the original grave in the field behind the marker, even using binoculars, with no luck. Then suddenly a friendly lady (Tammi) appeared on the road on a 4-wheeler. She stopped and we asked about the grave. She said that she knew where the grave was and that she had to go round up some cattle and would be back in 15 minutes to take us to it. She came back and we rode on her 4-wheeler with her as she drove up the road about a half-mile then headed across the very overgrown prairie. It was a trip of at least 15 minutes plowing over large tree-like weeds. The grave was on the second or third small knoll at least a mile from the road (92) where we had started.
Amazingly the ruts of the covered wagons can still be seen curving away from the gravesite, heading on toward the West. How hard that must have been for her husband, children, and parents who were traveling with her.
If you stand directly in front of the gravestone on the side with Amanda's name, and look in a straight line above it, you can easily see the famous guide monuments, Courthouse & Jail Rock, across the plains in the distance. I feel that M.J. and the family probably chose the spot so it would always be locatable in line with those monuments.
The stone on Amanda's grave now is a large, tall white marble one, placed many years ago with money collected from local citizens, to replace the original stone put there by M. J., Amanda's husband, which had been vandalized. On one side it tells of this being the location of the Oregon Trail. On the other side it has Amanda's name with her last name spelled incorrectly as LAMIN and states that they were from Devonshire, England. (The large historical marker directly beside the road however, corrects the mistake in identity.)
I took along some stones and dirt from the Lamme family cemetery "back home" in Marthasville, MO. which I placed on Amanda's grave.
Visiting Amanda's grave, and seeing the trail of the wagons as they drove away and left her there so far from home on that big lonely prairie, was a very moving and meaningful experience for me. It seemed that the fact that Tammi showed up and took us to the grave on her 4-wheeler was too much to be "coincidence." The grave would be almost impossible to find unless you know where it is. The weeds growing on the prairie, although interspersed with beautiful purple flowers of wild pea plants, appeared very prohibitive for walking through for the mile plus to the grave. Tammi told us that some of them sting and burn the skin. Without Tammi, we could not have visited Amanda's grave.
Since returning home to Missouri, the Bridgeport Chamber of Commerce sent me an email telling me that the owner of the property is a very nice man who will not let anything happen to the gravesite.
Family Members
Advertisement
Records on Ancestry
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
