Daily Yellowstone journal., 1884-05-14
OUR CATTLE CENTRE.
Miles City and its Business to
the Front in the Chicago
Times.
Yellowstone strengthening
Rapids and Snow Capped
Mountains.
Board of Trade and the Stock
Yards-The Bicycle and the
Roller Rink.



Under the heading of "A Prosperous
Town" We find from the popular cor
respondent, Ashley ID. Harger, the
following letter in the Chicago Times
Of the 10th inst:
Well up in the course OF the Yellow
stone. at the mouth Of Tongue river,
with the Powder aud Rosebud some
sixty miles east and west respectively,
Miles City points common center i'm
a tributary country of more than fif.
teen thousand square miles of valleys,
benches and uplands along the streams
mentioned. aud which have their
source In the territory of Wyoming.
All this country Is occupied in great
bands, herds and fiocks of horses, cat.
tie and sheep. and which are called
punches" by ranchmen. with the
distinction made In the mention of the
kind. The interest is large. and that
centering ut Miles City covers the area
mentioned, and includes an invest
ment of more than sl5.OOO,OOO. While
the cattle business forms a principal
occupation of the country, and THAT
same country most prolific In the
best means of forwarding the same. 1t
the country-is in no manner desti.
tute In other and greater means of con-
tinuance, and should be written as
generally fertile In agricultural pur.
suits, susceptible Of profitable cultiva-
ton, and most promising TO settlement
In all profitable venture. Crossing the
Yellowstone at this point, there In an
equal volume of tributary territory on
the north rs yet comparatively unoc.
cvpied and wholly undeveloped. All
Of 1t Is tributary to Miles City, and Ii
famed as among the best grazing re-
gions Of America. The character of
the country Is u first improvement on
that 20 recently passed, the immediate
surroundings here of every promising
nature, and continuing into the best
sections intermediate with the Big
Horn district.
Miles City is not railway town, no
new discovery nor recent creation, but
was here when the cars came in, and
has been handed down In the value of
its natural attractions TO the regions 1t
commands. Originally 1t was "Buf-
falo town" In the establishment of q
military post and traders supplies.
In the onset, us ut present, II comprises
u common center In the best interests
Of the country, and In the values II
now holds must inevitably become to
Montana what Cheyenne Is to Wyom-
ing, and ut least 20 neck and neck
with that entsrprising metropolis In
all commercial growth.
There il u liberal line Of building: as
1t is, Miles City Is out In holiday rig,
and In the completion Of the Stock
Growers National bank building, ut
the instance of W. II. Stebbins. and
his brother, Charles NJ. Stebbins .1who
is travelling In Europe, may put up
showing with any, and compare favor
ably with the best, The block CON-
prises the most elegant structure In all
modern finish and fixture, Is s0xsO,
three stories and basement.
Other and important banking inter.
ests are held at Miles City, aud trans
actions ut the First National, with
Joseph Leighton as president and
Richard +. Slower cashier, popular ~
prolific In oil important trusts.
The Arm Of Leighton, Jordan d Co.
do principal business here, m also at
Woody Mountain, Northwest terri
tory, In military and Indian supplies
and government contracts; with
Leighton q Jordan In original esta-
blIshment In similar trade In Fort
Buford, Dakota, and Poplar River,
Montana.
Brandenbury 4 Van Gasken, J. T..
Kennedy, +. GoettIIch. and c. b.
Towers are proninentin various kinds
Of merchandise, with Strevell q Gar.
lock principal law arm, and William
Csurtenay active In real estets. alive
to oil interest, and best general rustler
In the advancement Of Miles City
found ON the boards.
The town has population Of a,0o0
to 5000, On the denixsns Of the ranges
may migrate, % the shire town Of
Custer county.-which knows no limit
and IL the largest In the worId-ssta-
blIshed In schools, two daily papers,
society, churches, aud b well ~ In
| n a. a