[1] He attended the local schools and at the age of 20 decided to move west, eventually settling in St. Anthony, Minnesota (along with his acquaintance and fellow Mainer William D. Washburn).

[5] Brackett was also a major force behind some of the early city's civic events including the 1886 Industrial Exposition, the 1891 Harvest Festival, and the 1892 Republican National Convention.

A building he owned in Minneapolis collapsed during a remodeling project, killing 4 workers and costing Brackett a significant amount of money to rehabilitate.

[3] In August 1897, Brackett left for Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada with his son James to explore the business of supplying prospectors involved in the Yukon Gold Rush.

En route he met Joseph H. Acklen, a lawyer and former congressman, who expressed an interest in developing a reliable road from either Skagway or Dyea into the Yukon Territory.

The two were later joined by engineer Norman Smith and formed the Skagway and Yukon Transportation and Improvement Company, backed by a small group of investors and shareholders.

[3] While Brackett begun work, the company backing the project faced turmoil from in-fighting and difficulties finding investors.

Only a few of Brackett's personal friends (including railroad barons James J. Hill and William Cornelius Van Horne) and some Seattle-based investors kept the project alive.

[3] After the end of the White Pass wagon road, Brackett and his sons invested in a mining operation near Atlin Lake, British Columbia.