Lawrence, sometimes called "Stakerville", is a farming has a population of 50 people. The sign on the street of Lawrence says it was established in 1889. This is when the Lawrence LDS Ward was organized. It seems precinct was first settled by William Alma and Hilma Eckberg Staker and their infant son William Helaman and the Lawrence district was established 1885-ish. There was a two-room brick school with an enrollment of 80 in 1890 (the population of the town was 107). The highest population I've seen in my little search is 160 in 1900.
This little town did have its brush with national stories. In 1918 an influenza epidemic crossed the nation. In October of that year, three people of Lawrence died from the disease.
The most exciting story I found was of a resident (I can't find the name of this guy yet, but I'm still looking) with the reputation as "the greatest bootlegger of whiskey in Utah and Western Colorado". He employed several up to Nine Mile (north of Price) and through the San Rafael Swell, Book Cliff Mountains, "any remote place with a good waterhole." Bootleg whiskey was sold to distributors for $4 a gallon ($48.05 today). Selling twelve pints for a dollar a profit of $8 could be made. It took eight days in the hayfield to make that money! I wonder who this guy was!
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| The "Unknown" headstones numbered up to 28. I wonder if one of these is William or Hilma Staker |
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| One of the town's first residents! William Alma Staker. And what a lovely headstone too! |
The school closed in 1927 and there's nothing left. The church meetinghouse built in 1889 was closed in 1943, of which we found no remains. The only thing left of the old farming town is the cemetery.
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| The widest shot I could get inside the fence at the cemetery. Looking north west |
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| Lots of fences in this cemetery. Each couple of plots were inside their own fence. Looking south west |
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| This was just an awesome scene. No idea how old the house it, but such a rustic shot! |
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