RUTTER William - buried 9 July 1894 at
Rutter Soak, Cosmo Newbery
Hill 130kms north east of
Laverton: Aged about 27: died of TB: A pioneer of the Murchison Goldfields, was a member of a prospecting expedition from
Cue when he died
In Frank Hann's diaries there's 2 references:
21 October 1905: Soak at
granite. No
granite to the south of it. On stone at the grave was. W. Rutter died 8/7/94 lots of brands on the trees. Watered horses and camels, put water in the cans.
7 February 1908: Went to Rutters Grave, no water in soak, got little on rocks, then went E. By N. 10
miles to saltbush plain and camped.
also reported
On 21 October 1905, Frank Hann and party: (Geologist C.G. Gibson,
Sydney Giles and the Aboriginal
Talbot) found a soak which they dug for water....
'Rutter's Grave was at it, on stone at the grave was w. rutter died 8/7/94' records f.h. hann in his
dairy (w.a. archives 1114/17 item 314). On 9.9.1929, C.L Findlay surveyed the area and positions
this grave and the associated non-permanent soak also naming both features after the ill-fated
Rutter. (fd. bk. page 9 op.4681). It is to be noted that the relative position of this grave and soak
is incorrectly shown on public plan 51/300 and on the current map of rason 1:250 000 published in
1964; in that, the grave is shown n.w. of the soak it is at the soak and s.w. of it as is described by
Hann and delineated by findlay Field Book. 33 page 69, 0p.4681.