John Hollman Grave

The squared stone beside the sign is the directional marker the plaque mentions, and it says more than the plaque does. Cut into it, under OREGON TRAIL and MARKED BY THE STATE OF NEBRASKA, are GRAVE OF JOHN HOLLMAN and a full date, DIED JUNE 5 1852, then a surveyor's bearing: S. 72 degrees 20 minutes W., 715 feet. The line was measured from wherever the stone first stood. Since the stone has been moved, following the bearing from here no longer leads to Hollman's grave, the rough local rock that still carries his name.

What the plaque says

John Hollman Grave It has been estimated that at least 20,000 persons died on the overland trail, between 1842 and 1859. This averages ten graves per mile over the 2,000 mile trail. Of the hundreds who died while crossing Nebraska, only seven identifiable graves remain. Most trail graves had crude wooden or animal- bone markers. A very few had formal stones or iron wagon wheel rims. The nearby grave of John Hollman, like others in Western Nebraska, was marked by a roughly fashioned local rock. Though most of the others have disappeared, Hollman's still stands, its crude lettering giving his name and that he died in June 1852. Many overland travelers died from accidents, while a few were killed by Indians. The great majority died from disease. Asiatic cholera was the main killer, coming up the Mississippi from New Orleans. Parties crossing Missouri spread it across the Plains. It is not known how John Hollman died, but 1852 was a very bad cholera year and numerous deaths were recorded in this vicinity. Wagon ruts are still visible in parts of Garden County. Local rock formations were commented upon by many diarists. These remain today as a part of our historical heritage. The adjacent directional stone marker has been moved from its original site. Historical Society of Garden County Nebraska State Historical Society

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Ash Hollow State Historical Park — 13 mi
  The emigrants' spring below Windlass Hill, six miles from the Blue Water Creek camp where Harney's soldiers killed eighty-six Lakota in 1855, and where their belongings came home in 2025.

More markers nearby

• The Battle of Blue Water — 8.7 mi
• Ash Hollow Geology — 13 mi
• Ash Hollow — 13 mi
• Windlass Hill Pioneer Homestead — 15 mi