Concordia in Cloud County, Kansas — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Mamie Gunderson
July 9, 1894 - March 10, 1990
| | Train to Rock Port, Missouri 1905 | |
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 22, 2022
1. Mamie Gunderson Marker
In 1901 the lives of the five Gunderson children would change forever with the death of their father, Joseph. Their mother Emma was unable to care for five children on her own. Emma was only able to keep one child, Lillian, her second child. The eldest child Florence married a year after the death of her father at age 16. The three youngest, Mamie, 7; Frederick, 6; and Alfred, 2, were placed in an orphanage. In 1905, Mamie, Fred, and Alfred were chosen by the Children's Aid Society to be placed out in Rock Port, Missouri, on January 19, 1905. The three children were originally placed together in the home of Mr. and Mrs. E. J. Million, a farm family. The Millions were in their late sixties when they took in the Gunderson children. Most likely, they couldn't keep up with two energetic boys and so both found new homes. The Millions treated Mamie very well and she settled into her new life in Missouri.
Mamie was an excellent student and longed for a higher education. Thanks to Agent Clarke, Mamie gained the permission from her foster parents to attend high school in Milton, Wisconsin. Between school years Mamie would join H.D.
this page online
Against the advice of Agent Clark, Mamie married Verne F. Rose when she was 21. She met Verne, a jeweler, while visiting her brother Fred in Rock Port. After the marriage, Mamie and Agent Clarke fell out of contact which saddened him immensely; he had been like a father to her. Mamie and Verne had two sons, Charles and Robert. After moving throughout the Midwest, the family settled in Junction City, Kansas.
Erected by National Orphan Train Complex.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Education • Railroads & Streetcars • Women. A significant historical date for this entry is January 19, 1905.
Location. 39° 34.194′ N, 97° 38.406′ W. Marker is in Concordia, Kansas, in Cloud County. It is at the intersection of East 7th Street and Cloud Street, on the right when traveling east on East 7th Street. Marker and sculpture are located at the Concordia Sports Complex, near
2. Marker detail: Mamie Gunderson
Regionally, this marker is in Kansas’ Smoky Hills. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Corn Belt, on the prairies, and on the Southern Plains. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Alfred Ulshoefer / Alfred Pierce (here, next to this marker); Hayes Rutherford Devore / Helen Weinhold Ross & Alfred Weinhold (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Father Paul Fangman (approx. 0.8 miles away); Agent Anna Laura Hill (approx. 0.9 miles away); Anna Louise Doherty / Louise Simpson (approx. 0.9 miles away); Michael and Walter Nolan (approx. 0.9 miles away); Frank G. Simmons (approx. one mile away); Holly Stoll / Hallie Garwood (approx. one mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Concordia.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 22, 2022
3. Mamie Gunderson Sculpture & Marker
Lee Doyen Field in background.
Also see . . .
1. Orphan train rider Mamie Rose remembered her orphan train journey.
(From Orphan Train Riders: Their Own Stories, Vol. 1, published by the National Orphan Train Complex)(Submitted on December 23, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Before we left Brooklyn we were taught table manners and dressed in civilian clothes. We were each given a complete outfit of clothes. I remember what I wore on that trip, a brown coat with a cape and brass buttons, a Buster Brown hat in red I felt like a Princess.We didnt know where we were going. We had a man and lady accompany us. We rode the train. I remember we stopped overnight in Chicago, we had sandwiches, which was a treat.
We landed in Rock Port, a small town in northwest Missouri. We went to the opera house as soon as we arrived, which was about noon. The opera house was full of people, who came to see and take us home with them All the children sat in rows on the stage.
2. Mamie L. Gunderson Rose (Find A Grave).
Highland Cemetery, Junction City, Geary County, Kansas.(Submitted on December 23, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Mary "Mamie" Lucille Rose was born July 8, 1893 in Brooklyn N.Y. to Joseph and Emma Hoffses Gunderson. Her father died when she was 5 and her mother and four other children went to work while she stayed home to take care of her two younger brothers. The children were soon put in an orphanage and not long after that were sent to the Midwest on an orphan train.
Credits. This page was last revised on December 25, 2022. It was originally submitted on December 22, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 687 times since then and 34 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 23, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
