Garden County Nebraska

GardenCoNe.com

Oshkosh, Lewellen, Lisco

   

Source: Garden County History 1886-1986 by Historical Society of Garden County

Begin Cite:
"During the 1841-1860 period, what is now Garden County was invaded. Under a time schedule determined by grass height in spring for grazing, and the arrival of snow in the Blue Mountains and the Cascades of Oregon, wagon trains moved west.. Peak travel through Garden County was probably from about the fifteenth of May until the first of July and even this last date was late to allow the travelers time to reach Oregon City before winter.

An estimated 100,000 wagons carrying 250,000 to 300,000 people went west, leaving their impressions on the surface of the land. In addition, freighters drawn by oxen or horses carried supplies to the military forts, trading posts, stores, and to the young cities springing up.

This thoroughfare crossed the full width of Garden County along with the other counties that lie astride the North Platte River. The usual reference is to the California-Oregon Trail on the south side of the river, the Mormon Trail on the north side. However, they could cross and no doubt did so when circumstances demanded.

The South Platte River was forded in at least four places by those heading toward California and Oregon. Those crossing the river just west of Brule came up California Hill across the table and down into Ash Hollow via Windlass Hill, thus entering Garden County from the south. Those who had crossed at North Platte (City), Sutherland/Hershey, and Roscoe arrived at the south side of the North Platte river east of Ash Hollow and came up the river until they reached a place where the river was over against the bluff just east of Ash Hollow. It made passage at river level impossible so they had to turn south, climb the bluffs, cross the high ridge which is the eastern boundary of Ash Hollow, and then descend the slope into Ash Hollow itself where they could join the other Trail that had come from Windlass Hill, thus entering Garden County from the east. The now-combined Trails came to the north end of Ash Hollow and turned west up the river."

"There are four definite ruts which descend Windlass Hill and also two or three more definite ruts that come into the Hollow south of the Rock School. Patterns of the Trail change depending on the terrain. On the floor of the Hollow, swales can be seen in two or three places which are grassed over and very easily missed by the inexperienced eye as these swales are about 10' to 12' wide and about 12" deep, with no harsh edges to mark the boundaries.

Just west of the old Lewellen bridge are three graves, one being marked as that of A.J. Kelley. The Trail passed by these graves and continued on west but is quite badly obliterated by the county road, an occasional plowed field, and by cattle, wind, and rain.

South of Oshkosh, along Highway 27, two rut traces show across the Country Club Golf Course, about half way to the first hole. They are the slightest depressions with a different growth pattern. Thanks to the Club for keeping them as a bit of history.

Going west about 20' to the right on a high bank of a large sanddraw - is the grave of John Hollman. In traveling further west toward Lisco, sometimes the traces are either to the right or left of the gravel road and at times the county road is directly on it. Three swales across sections which belong to Rush Creek are visible as soft ripples which show best when the grass is short. They are not the easiest area for making hay.

In an easterly direction from the south end of the Lisco bridge and the Lisco Cemetery one may see the Trail, up to 100 yards wide, which shows as an oriented ground cover growth pattern. The sage brush grows in rows as if planted by hand, and surely is in the Oregon Trail traces.

In the Museum in Oshkosh is a series of aerial photographs taken in 1939 which shows the area covered by the Oregon Trail and shows faint but definite traces of the Trail worn here by so many weary travelers in the 1840s and 1850s." End Cite

The grave of John Hollman is on private property.Access has been restricted in recent years due to vandalism. Property owner permission is required to view the actual gravesite. The property is posted, and trespassers will be prosecuted.
Highway 27, 2 miles south of Oshkosh.
Read the text on the John Hollman Grave Historic Marker