Preservation Thursday: Lucretia Marchbanks

“Who Is Aunt Lou?” asked the New York Daily Stock Report of 1881. The Black Hills Daily Times of December 12, the same year reported, “We’ll Tell You Who She Is!” Lucretia Marchbanks, formerly enslaved by the Marchbanks family from Tennessee, made her way to several gold rush sites before making her home in the Black Hills. This remarkable woman worked at a variety of hotels and boarding houses making a name for herself as being hard-working, dependable, a good judge of character, and humble. “Aunt Lou” as she was known in the Hills, purchased and operated the Rustic Hotel at the foot of Sawpit Gulch near early Deadwood. Even after selling her business, it was still called, “Aunt Lou’s.” A savvy businesswoman, she purchased a homestead, proved it up and retired comfortably in Rocky Ford, Wyoming. Historical interpreter, Joyce Jefferson, brings a Chautauqua performance of Lucretia Marchbanks. In the Chautauqua style, Jefferson presents Lucretia Marchbanks as she tells stories about her life, and the audience can interact with “Aunt Lou” as if she were alive today. Homestake Adams Research and Cultural Center; 12:00 p.m.; free for members and $5 for non-members.