The lure of free land drew people to the Lake of the Woods area after the turn of the century. For the payment of a filing fee a settler could lay claim to 160 acres of land. After living on the land for 5 years and erecting a dwelling the homesteader received a deed to the property. This process was known as "proving up".

At one time 40 families lived along the present day Bankton Forest Road. They accessed the area on forest trails that followed sandy ridges. They also traveled by boat in the summer and on the ice in the winter.

The homesteaders' livelihood was based on the resources of the area. They logged sawtimber and poles, worked in sawmills, trapped fur, and provided their own food by subsistence farming and hunting.

The community of Bankton had a Post Office, a school, and a community hall. Most of the people that lived in the Bankton area relocated to other parts of Lake of the Woods county during the federal Resettlement Program of 1935.

The openings along the Bankton Forest Road are all vestiges of the farm fields left by the homesteaders. The location of the homesite is often marked with a willow tree or lilac bush planted by the settlers. Two cemeteries established by the homesteaders remain along the Bankton Forest Road. Records are a bit fuzzy but at least 5 people are buried in each cemetery. The Hamilton Farm Cemetery is also referred to as the Germanson Cemetery in early township records. The Bankton Cemetery is called God's Acre Cemetery in the obituary of one of the people buried there.

Informational signs along the Bankton Forest Road identify the two cemeteries and the location of a few of the homestead sites where evidence of buildings remain.

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