Crane's Sawmill Burials

Nye County

The information on this page comes from Jeanne Sharp Howerton. She is an outstanding historian and author regarding Northeastern Nye County. During the late 1860's and 1870's, there were many sawmills that operated in the Grant and Quinn mountain ranges. The wood was used for building materials, mine timbering, charcoal for smelters, heating and cooking, etc. William Crane operated his sawmill at Crane Canyon south of Troy. There were two non-related, fatal accidents that occurred within two days of each other at the sawmill. On August 3rd, 1869, Braddock W. King was killed when a wagon full of logs rolled over the top of him. On August 5th, 1869, J.T. Jones was killed when a large log rolled over the top of him. Both men were buried on a hillside at Little Meadow at the mouth of Crane Canyon.

Howerton took photos of the burial location in 1969. At that time, two engraved rocks marked the burial spots for King and Jones. They have since been stolen. How do people who steal grave markers live with themselves? We did comparison photos of Howerton's 1969 photo and a modern photo. They are very close. I have also attached the two photos of the engraved rocks from Howerton (1969).