Why?

Clapper Canyon, Black Rock Desert. Courtesy of D. Dickerson

There are certain questions that are destined to be left unanswered. One that has left me stumped was related to the deaths of Edward Clapper and Peter Lassen that occurred in April 1859 in the Black Rock Desert. In November 1859, three Honey Lake Valley residents, U. Johnson Tutt, Antone Storff and Joe Kitts made the 124 mile plus journey to retrieve the remains of Lassen’s body. For the life of me, that they went to all that trouble, why did leave Clapper’s remains behind?

It should be duly noted that in 1990 the skeletal remains of a human body were found in the region where Clapper and Lassen were murdered. After extensive analysis, it was determined it was the remains of Clapper. On May 30, 1992, a burial ceremony was held at Lassen’s Monument to inter the remains of Clapper.

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