Grachevka

Grachyovka was founded in 1811 by settlers from Tambov Governorate on the high bank of the Tok River. The first houses were thatched with straw and reeds. The surrounding meadows and pastures supported horses, sheep and cattle, while hunting and fishing supplemented the settlers' livelihood. The Tok and nearby lakes held fish including bream, pike and perch. This small settlement belonged to the growing network of villages established in the country west of Orenburg.