John Brown, "first-class sheepman" 1838-1870

Mt Wakefield, looking up the valley from the site of John Brown's grave.

Only a few minutes' drive from The Hermitage hotel near Mt Cook are two solitary graves, a few kilometres from each other.  The thousands of tourists who visit the area drive past them, only a few hundred metres from the highway, oblivious to their existence.

DIED IN THE SNOW.

We regret to report the death of a man named John Brown, a shepherd in the employ of Messrs Dark, Bros., Mackenzie Country, who was found dead in the snow on the run of his employers on Lake Pukaki on the 4th inst. It appears that the deceased went away from his hut some time towards the end of last month for the purpose of getting some sheep out of the snow, but was not missed for days afterwards. His body was found near to a wild Irishman bush, and it is supposed that the poor fellow died from exhaustion. 

A correspondent sends us some particulars of the inquest that was held, together with some additional particulars; he says: — 

An inquest was held in the river-bed of the Pukaki, a few miles from Mount Cook, on Wednesday the 7th inst., by J. A. Clowes, Esq., J. P., acting as Coroner, respecting the death of John Brown, late shepherd in the employ of Messrs Dark, Bros., Mackenzie Country. 

The evidence went to show that deceased lived in a hut by himself six miles from the nearest house, and was last heard of as alive and well about the 23rd of August. Was missed on Saturday the 3rd inst., when search being made he was found on the following evening. 

From the paucity of evidence, and in the absence of medical assistance, the jury brought in an open verdict. There was a good deal of snow on the ground at the time of his death, as shown by his marks, and it is supposed that deceased either fell and hurt himself, or was attacked by a sudden illness and sat down to rest. At the same time there were no marks on his body sufficient to account for his death, so far as the jury were competent to decide; nor were there any marks in the snow of his having fallen. He was known to have suffered from ill-health at times, and to have been under medical treatment. 

Deceased was very highly respected by all who knew him, and his immediate neighbours were most anxious to show their respect by burying him in Timaru; but the state of the country prevented this. He was therefore buried in a suitable spot, near where he was found, everyone connected with the inquest attending.   -Timaru Herald, 28/9/1870.

A page from the Rootsweb site (unfortunately I was unable to find whose work it it) shed some  more light upon the death of John Brown.

In the 1870s John Brown, from the Isle of Skye, was the head shepherd for "Glentanner" was out snowraking with his friend Browning. Browning returned to camp and realised Brown had not returned from down Fred's Creek. Fred Creek (aka Tin Hut Creek), some six miles upstream from Glentanner, was named after a Glentanner shepherd, Fred Baker, in the 1860s. Thinking Brown had gone to the Birch Hill homestead Browning did not look for him. Three days later Browning arrived at the Birch Hill homestead and Brown was not there. A search party was organised and Andrew Burnett advised that a Highland shepherd would place his shepherd's stick upright in the snow to aid searchers. Big Mick Radove discovered the mustering stick with Brown's hat on top of it and Brown was found in a snow drift, dead. A coffin was made by a Glentanner Station hand from rough birch timber and lined with a grey station blanket and he was buried on Birch Hill Station.

I found the site of the grave of John Brown while at home, using maps and aerial photos on my phone, and resolved to get to it the next time I made the drive to Mt Cook and back.  The phone app I used to find the grave can also use the phone's gps to put me within a few metres of any place I choose and I used that to guide me to the grave - at least, I tried.  On the first attempt I learned a valuable lesson - just how little water it takes to make a touch screen unusable.

My next attempt saw me cross a small flat down from the road and up onto a low hill with a view over the Tasman Valley.  The gravestone was visible from there but I could see that the shortest route to it would take me over bracken which concealed half-rotten pine branches.  Ankle-breaking country.  I followed sheep tracks on a semi-circle to finally reach the 1870 stone.  The inscription is in very good condition and mentions the other grave in the area.  Returning to the highway, I drove the few km to where the grave of John Lloyd was shown to be 556m from the roadside.  I had ten minutes in hand but it was not long enough.  I'll find John Lloyd next time I'm up there.

Looking back towards the highway. Round Hill to the left, Mt Brown behind.

Looking down the Tasman River to Lake Pukaki.