A.F. Graeter and Company ledger, circa 1897-1902

Overview of the Collection

Creator
A.F. Graeter and Company
Title
A.F. Graeter and Company ledger
Dates
circa 1897-1902 (inclusive)
Quantity
1 volume
Collection Number
Mss 367
Summary
The collection consists of a ledger that documents individual financial accounts from a Bannack, Montana, area gold dredging company. The year(s) of the ledger is not known but the company operated from 1897 through 1902.
Repository
University of Montana, Mansfield Library, Archives and Special Collections
Archives and Special Collections
Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library
University of Montana
32 Campus Dr. #9936
59812-9936
Missoula, MT
Telephone: 406-243-2053
library.archives@umontana.edu
Access Restrictions

Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of Archives and Special Collections, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, and The University of Montana--Missoula.

Additional Reference Guides

Finding aid in the repository.

Languages
English

Historical NoteReturn to Top

A.F. Graeter and Company dredged gold in Bannack, Montana, during the late 1890s through the early 1900s. Bannack, originally part of the Idaho Territory, began as a small mining community in 1862. In 1864 Bannack experienced a boom in population after being named the capital of the newly created Montana Territory. Prospectors flocked to Bannack as the area gained a national reputation for its gold deposits. As the town grew, mining companies moved into the area bringing large dredging machinery. These early dredges were boat-like structures equipped with buckets attached to a pulley system. The buckets scooped up gravel from the riverbed and deposited it into a sluice box located on the dredge; the sluice box retained the gold-bearing sediments. This system was the primary method for mining gold from 1895 to 1905. The A.F. Graeter and Company began dredging for gold in the Marysville area near Bannack on April 14, 1897. A fairly large operation, A.F. Graeter and Company, boasted the third largest dredge in the area. The company was financed under the Bannack Dredging Company but operated under local direction. The business operated until 1902, then closed until F.B. Felt, a businessman from Chicago, purchased the business in early 1906. The company was financially lucrative but was permanently dismantled in the fall of 1906.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The collection consists of a ledger that documents individual financial accounts from a Bannack, Montana, area gold dredging company. The year(s) of the ledger is not known but the company operated from 1897 through 1902.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

Researchers are responsible for using in accordance with 17 U.S.C. and any other applicable statutes.

Preferred Citation

[Name of document or photograph number], A. F. Graeter and Company Ledger, Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana-Missoula.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Acquisition Information

Gift of Gary Williams at an unknown date.

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Gold mines and mining--Montana--Bannack
  • Mining corporations--Montana--Bannack--Records and correspondence

Form or Genre Terms

  • Business records--Montana--Bannack

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top