March 7, 2023 |
Photo – Elk Mountain Cemetery – by Brett Larson
Keeping track of where everyone is buried in a cemetery might not be as simple or as easy as you think.
At the Elk Mountain cemetery, the newly reformed Cemetery District is working to ensure residents rest in peace and all the grave sites are mapped and catalogued accordingly.
In November, after over a decade of not having a cemetery control board, Brett Larson assembled a group of four citizens to bring the Elk Mountain Cemetery Board back. Larson said his first act as the cemetery board’s commissioner was to have a detailed survey done of the graveyard.
Larson said the most pressing issue for his newly formed cemetery board was to create a new graveyard map. He said the town hadn’t updated its grave plot map since 1963.
Larson has contracted Dave Hammond, of Hammond Land Survey in Laramie, to map the 300 plus graves in the cemetery. Hammond has agreed to place markers differentiating the sections of the graveyard during his examination. Larson said no signs exist showing which area people are in.
The Elk Mountain cemetery is divided into six sections, lettered A through F. Larson said, with less than 20 plots left for sale, the cemetery board has asked Hammond to map out three additional sections.
The town of Elk Mountain sells cemetery plots in 16-foot by 16-foot squares. Larson said the newly surveyed areas could be split into smaller segments to accommodate single burials and the interment of cremated remains.
Larson said it was his idea to resurrect the Elk Mountain cemetery board. After being rejected by members of the previous board, Larson said he was able to find three people willing to serve.
The cemetery board commissioner said he wanted to recognize the other members of the reformed board. Larson said Craig Jones was part of previous board for around 20 years. Elk Mountain town council member Wade Nelson is also a member of the board. Larson said despite Nelson only being in town for about 3 years, he is a great addition. And the last member of the Elk Mountain Cemetery district board is Larson’s relative, Niles Larson.
Hammonds work will be compiled into a digital spreadsheet allowing the town to keep track of plot sales more accurately.
