Sanders County residents offer insight into 1915 rock carving

It didn’t take long for some important clues to roll in concerning the mystery of who John Crossen was, and why did he pause to carve his name in a rock on a ranch north of Plains more than a century ago.

Last week the Valley Press published a story about local resident Ed Farmer whose son Nicholas was the first to notice the weather-faded name and “1915” that was etched into the stone ledge on Farmer’s property.

Farmer, a local history buff, contacted the VP about the carved name and date out of a strong curiosity about who John Crossen was.

Another local resident, Pat Killgore, came into the Valley Press office and said an elderly woman he helps care for said she knew the Crossen family and said they were a ranch family living in the Lower Lynch Creek area.

“I know June Lanman, who heard about the story and said she knew who that was,” Killgore said. “She is 93 years old and said she knew Crossen and that he had a brother.”

Lanman said it was her recollection that Crossen died in 1965. He and his family had a ranch along Lower Lynch Creek road area.

“She said he was a very nice man,” Killgore said Lanman told him. “She remembered where they lived.”

Lanman and Killgore both agreed that Crossen was most likely hunting when he stopped for a rest or to scout for deer on the day in 1915. Farmer said that was his guess too, as the rock ledge into which the name was carved was in an area that even today is home to large populations of deer and other game animals.

“That’s good to hear,” Farmer said. “We figured he was either hunting or someone passing through the area. The road that runs along that ridge used to be the main route through the valley before Highway 200 was built.”

Farmer told the Valley Press that he and his sons frequently hunt the area, which includes his property on which the rock is located. The Farmer family has a small hunting cabin on the property, which is not far from where they currently live. No other structural evidence is anywhere near the rock.

Farmer said the area has what he believes is a rich history. He said he found some bones in the area years ago, had them examined and learned they were human.

“I didn’t want to be disturbing anything,” he said. “So we took the bones and reburied them where we found them.”

Also, the area was once home to a stage coach stop and an old school.

“It’s good to know about our local history,” he said. “We will keep seeking what else we can learn, but it’s good to know what we now know.”