The first lumber to be cut was in Lumber Gulch, that heads up near Blue Wing (so named for a quartz mine afterwards discovered), and comes into the Grasshopper between Bannack and Marysville. This was cut by a man named Cris -- a Dane or Swede. It seems a peculiar thing that on the 18th day of November, 1862, the Pioneer Milling and Mining Company located Godfrey's Canyon, and R. C. Knox, the Point oi Rocks, on Grasshopper, calling it Split Bock Mill Site. It also seems that William Sturgis had located the Point of Rocks three days before Knox, and we also find that Sturgis did not build the mill, but that John Carrico and John Scudder did, as there is a mortgage on record when 8turgis gave a mortgage deed to Carrico and Scudder, and describes it as a certain mill that he had purchased from said Carrico and Scudder. There can be no doubt but what Langford, Godfrey and Con Bray -- the Pioneer Milling Company -- got their mill up first, as lumber was hauled from Bannack to Virginia the next year. Sturgis' mill was in use on the creek after the Godfrey mill was dismantled. It consisted of an upright saw, that was not very rapid in its travels -- going up one day and probably returning the next. Book B. Bannack Dist., page 75.
First Timber Reserved by William Sturgis.
The owners of the Rock Point Mill, claim for the use of said mill the timber which is on the following described tract of land: Commencing at a stake on the north side of a small gulch, or ravine, running a south course across said gulch to a stake near the divide, or top of first slope, thence westerly, about two miles to stake, thence north one mile to a stake, thence east to place of beginning; said gulch comes out of the West mountain about one mile north of the Pioneer Gulch. The owners of the Rock Point Mill, also claim the exclusive right to a road, which they are making up said gulch. October 10, 1868.
WILLIAM STURGIS.
There is no man alive, today, who can tell who built the first house on Grasshopper. John C. Innes and Augustus F. Graeter, men that were there early in '62 cannot tell. It was several miles below the town of Bannack, where White found gold, and below a canyon that was impassable for wagons. When Bannack was located, owing to the rich bar found by Wash. Stapleton, there was a bar on the north side of the creek, that was the result of the material washed out of what was after to become Hang Man's Gulch. On the south side of the stream was a considerable flat, where most of the people camped, called later, Yankee Flat. That was to become the place where the town was to begin, but which, owing to the rich bars that were later to be found on that side, to become abandoned, as the tailings covered it.
The Salt Lake road came down the hill that was just west of this flat and continued to be the main thoroughfare for years, until it, too, was to be washed down by Smith and Graeter, with their big ditch from Horse Prairie.
People were too busy trying to make money to think of building houses, because, as Mr. John Innes said, "I came to Bannack on September 8th, 1862, with Woodmansee Brothers' train, ten teams loaded with supplies. There was no house in Bannack. Neil Howie was with our party."
As soon as it began to turn cold, all got busy, and just who was fortunate enough to get under a roof first, no one can tell, In building their houses, they would take any land not before preempted, and described it from some natural object, or from some claim already taken. As for example, "Conrad Kohrs claimed for building purposes 50 feet front, 150 deep, on the south side of'. Main Street, opposite to Crawford's (this was Hank), lot, Bannack City, October 22nd, 1862.
Henry Plummer bought, May 23rd, 1863, of Aug. V. Allen, lot No. 10, on Second Cross Street, in Bannack City, consideration $25.00.
In this way Bannack began to grow, until October 6th, 1862, when a Townsite Company was formed by William Clancey, Henry Phleger, C. W. Howard, Ivan B. Moore, G. W. Stapleton, J. Russell, Samuel McLean, Joseph Hurst, William Gibson, E. B. Leavitt, J. W. Geary, N. W. Burns, W. H. Bell, F. R. Madison, W. C. Rheem, A. Hellman, George Gibson, Asel Stanley and A. J. Thomas, described as follows, to-wit:
Commencing at a stake situated about one-half mile up Grasshopper Creek,
and on the south bank from the flag staff, being at the south end of
Happy Valley; thence rnnning three-quarter miles southerly to a stake;
thence westerly at right angles one and one-half miles to a stake;
thence northerly at right angles one and one-half miles to a stake;
thence at right angles easterly one and one-half miles to a stake;
thence southerly at right angles three-quarters of a mile, to the
commencement point, containing 1,240 acres, be the same more or less
lying and being on both sides of Grasshopper Creek. No claim to said
land, or the water running through said tract, save for town
purposes.
October 6th, 1862.
NORTHWESTERN MINING DIST.
JOSEPH HURST, Bec.
Per G. W. STAPLETON.
R. P. Eaton recorded a lot October 19th, 1862. James Stuart claimed his lot west of G. W. Stanley, October 21st, 1862. It appears that from October 19th, to October 22nd, was the busy time for locating building lots. Size of lots were 50x150. L. L. Blake chose his the 17th, and Bill Goodrich and G. W. Gallaway also on that date. While the first town lot that was described by a plat was taken by Cornelius Bray, December 1st, 1862, as f.ollows: Iiot No. 14, Block 7, in West Bannack, northwest corner of Washington and Second Streets. N. P. Langford also took a lot the same day. Then we find that Jim Bozeman sold his lot and house logs on October 24th, 1862, to Woody and Stuart.