Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1888-03-04

reser'tion al W'tnittWihB govern
ment occupancy entirely from the ea-l
side Of rpugu- river with the exnep.
ton Of a square comprising ahou'
tw-nty-ive acres ressrvei fJr bridge
aud ferry purpose, II founi the citl-
zen- Of Miles CITY prepared to move 10
the fr,nt, rag AMI hazgtg-, ani IN
April, 1878, = t0wnsite coupiny had
been form Il ani = town lad Jlt, sur
rpun iing GU three sides the littl-
patch still held by the Iv-rnmrnt
the fourth side being guarded by the
Tongue river. The tpgn'ite con
prsed about 100 s,res ani wa- plated
aud surveyed with prophetic eye To
its pros J-r 'u- future. Wise fore
thought gave us wide streets and con-
modious business blocks, dividrd
through one way aud half through the
other win tw-nty-foot allry-. Srler.
tions We're made aud lots ~ portioned
to the residents aud in an Incredibly
short space OF time the new CITY oi
NJ les was born and began 10 make II
show on the face Of the earth. No log
shacks nova permanent abiding
place had beer found and the im.
provemeDls were To ne ia keeping
with the Importance of the pltc-. o.
the style of architecture then adoptt d
for business houses, only one sample
nov remains, the double store of e.
w. Sivage 4 Sons, which, by 20 bd
luck that il simply marvellous, has es-
capped des' ruction by fires which have
ragged on every side OF it. Work At
the Fort contlnue-;a small army OF
citizen employees found employment
AMI good wages; contracts for hay and
wood employed many more and enor-
nous "bull train" freigntiug outfits,
supplemented the stesmboating bu-i-
Ness after the season Of navigation,
aud trsversing the country b.lweeu
Fort Buford, Bismarck, and Miles
City, supplied those wants that bad
been overlooked or failed to connect
by water.
So up to the completion Of the Fort
in 1879. Then ss II by magic the pur-
suit of the buffalo hunter" Was inaug-
urste and was speedily adopted by
almost everybody who had nothing
else To do. This chapter in the his
tory OF MIles City deserves a slspecisl
historian, 70: in IL, Is TO b recorded
an event that future ages will ponder
over aud humanitarians condemn
from now TO eternity-briehy, th.
winters OF 1873, 1880 and 1881 cbron,
icle the utter and complete exteImina
tion of the buffalo, once 80 numerou:
on the western plains. that weeks and
months were consumed IN the passage
of migratory herds at a given point
| The slaughter was incredible aud ale
most wholly indefensible; scores
Were killed where units were skinned,
aud Of tue hundreds OF thousands OF
robe. taken not fifty per cent Of them
yer reached the river points for ship
ment, and Dt ten per cent Of these
were worth shipping, owing to the
ignorance aud carelessness OF the
skinners in the first handling Of the
b drs. During 10 and 80 the buffalo
hunter was on important personsge IN
the town, but his importance wsned
with the destruction Of his defenseless
quarry, aud in 1882 his occupation
was gone. Meanwhile, in November
1881, the Northern Pacific railroad
had pull d transcontinental line 4
and past Miles City. This brough
new opportunities for communication
with eastern markets, and the neces
sity Of carrying years stock OF mer
chandise was abbreviated. As conss
queuce the business methods OF ou
merchants underwent change, price
were reduced, credit lines became
more restricted and competition
sharper. The merchants Of the frs
era, whose business depended largely
on the existence Of the large freightinG
and contracting outfits, withdres
from the field and left IL 10 the more
methodicsl and closer figuring trades
men who came In with the railroad,
! (The old.tImer in Miles City by COM
mon consent dates from the days o
the stage coach. The tendsr'oot is he
who was safely aud luxuriously trans
ported over the prairie and bad lands
in a palace carl
From 1878 to 1881 the new town had
grown rapidly and In the latt er yesI
presented n very busy appearance,
the business portion being closely
built up with attractive two-story
buildings; such buildings, however. Ia
the absence OF any organized fire pro
tectIon constituted extra hazardous
risks, and fires began 70 make periodi
cal havoc in the town; notwitLstsnd
ing that insurance rates ran from sl,
PER cent In stocks 10 ten per cent n
buildings, the merchants aud other