Remains of Early Residents Moved to Lusk Cemetery

On Wednesday of last week, coroner George Earl Peet was engaged in the task of exhuming the remains of three persons interred in the little cemetery near the Hat Creek ranch, and moving them to the Lusk Cemetery for re-burial.

The deceased were John S. Falconer, son of Andrew and Catherine Falconer, aged 13 years and 24 days at the time of his death, which was caused by being struck by lightning. His death occurred on July 19, 1889, only six weeks after his arrival in company with his mother, from Scotland.

Also the remains of Catherine Storrie, mother of Mrs. Catherine Falconer, and grandmother of John S.Falconer. Her death was due to an attack of rheumatism, and occurred in 1893, when she was about 70 years of age.

More recent was the death of Andrew Falconer, whose remains also were transferred to the Lusk Cemetery by Mr. Peet. He died on April 18, 1922, at the age of 66 years.

These two families – Storrie and Falconer – are among the early pioneers of this part of Wyoming. Hat Creek, as is well known, was the first government postoffice established in what is now the State of Wyoming, and the site of old Fort Hat Creek. Many interesting stories of Indian fighting center around this interesting location. Even today, some sparse remains of the old buildings and the underground tunnel, which lead from the buildings to the springs on Hat Creek, and through which the soldiers led their horses to water in order to avoid the hostile Indians, are still to be found, near the present Hat Creek ranch buildings.

It was at Hat Creek that John Storrie and his brother-in-law, Andrew Falconer, located upon their arrival from Scotland in 1883. They left behind them in Scotland, John Storrie’s mother, Catherine Storrie, a widow, and also Andrew’s wife, who was the daughter of Catherine Storrie, and Andrew Falconer’s son, John S. Falconer. There three people came direct to Hat Creek from Scotland in 1889, and this has been the home of these fine people up to the present time, only as removed by death.

The only surviving members of this pioneer family are Mrs. Andrew Falconer, widow of Andrew Falconer, who reached the age of 81 years on this July 21st , and Mrs. Mary J. Fields, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Falconer, both of whom still reside at the old ranch home.

Mrs. Catherine Falconer is the only survivor of five children. During a period of some fifteen years prior to 1929, Mrs. Falconer has never left her ranch home. In 1929 she made a stay of six months in Casper, but since her return from Casper she has remained contentedly in the quiet surroundings of her beloved old home.

The task of disinterring the remains of people, such as was carried out by Mr. Peet last week, is one of a very exact and delicate nature, and is permitted only under the strictest regulations of the State Board of Health. All such remains are to be sealed by solder, within airtight and metal-lined containers, to prevent any possible danger to the health of the public. None but licensed embalmers are granted disinterment permits.

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