The log cabin that was moved to Las Cruces once served as a store and
post office in Grafton.
When the silver and copper mines quit producing in the 1890's,
Grafton folks mostly moved on. The flood of 1957 destroyed most of
what was left--but the log cabin survived perched on a hill
above the flood waters.
The cabin was built of hand-hewn logs chinked with a mixture of
clay, mud, ash and sawdust.
The builder used pegged and notched construction methods.
He also showed a fondness for doors--the cabin has four, one on each
wall--offering multi-escape routes from both fire and marauders.
In 1972 Sid Blakley, hunting in the Grafton area, discovered the
abandoned cabin. He and his wife donated the cabin to Las Cruces as
a bicentennial gift. Marion and Caroline George donated $5,000 to the
project and the Las Cruces Home Builders Association moved
the cabin on a corner across from the Branigan Cultural Center
in Las Cruces where it was furnished using 1880's styles.