Graeter House – (above) Augustus Graeter and his wife, Emily Drury were married in Nebraska in 1860 and arrived in Bannack in 1862. In partnership with A. J. Smith, they constructed the Smith – Graeter Ditch in 1863 to provide water for mining. The ditch, along with others, helped sustain and contributed to the expansion of mining operations in Bannack. In 1897, his company built the gold dredge, which operated along Grasshopper Creek until 1902.
Turner House – Like most buildings in Bannack, this cabin saw many different uses over the years. This house was last owned by the Turner family before being acquired by the State of Montana. Arthur Contway purchased the building in the early 1900s and it served as his residence, Post Office, barbershop and had the only telephone in town for some time.
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Bannack, Montana was founded in 1862 after a major gold discovery. It served as the capital of Montana Territory briefly during the civil war. The last residents left in the 1970s.
“Images from Bannack” are from July 30, 2010, our third visit to Bannack.
