Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1888-03-04
HERE WE LIVE.
Miles City the Cattle Centre, the
County Centre and a Boss
Town.
Brief History of the Rise of the
Famous City of the
Yellowstone.
MILES CITY.
A Brief History of the Metropolis Of East
ern Montana.

ern Montana.
IL April mex Miles City will be ten
yr.r- old. Ten years in The life OF one
"i tn. sleepy old towns Of the states Is
an -poch that passes unmarked save
by the new grav-stvD.s that ad0rn the
cemetery but in the stirring west IL l.
almost n lifetime. To Miles City these
ten years past have brought many
change; some good, some bad aud
~ doubtful ~ to be judged only in the
light OF later events, but on the whole.
here as elsewhere Providence has
been more bjuntiful 10 gifts than pri-
vsIinns.
Tue blooi curdling massacre of Gus
ter aud his band on the Little Big
Horn IN 1915 WAS the indirect m, aus
of bringing Miles City into existence.
Previous 10 that sad event the valley
uf the Yellowstone was practically y
given over o. the Indians. Lying be-
tween we'll settled country both east
and west OF IL, II wa.a TERRA INCoG
SITt into which adventurous spirits
sometimes v-nuured for pleasure or
profit, aud who quite ss often met
dis ,ster ani death at the hands OF tue
Indians ~ they can. off uuhsrmed.
The result Of the Custer expedition of
1875, though fatal ia it, I'm nsdiats
Wa also the death blow
to Indian supreu ,cy on any portion
of the northern frontier. The blow
that SWEET Custer aud hil men from
I he face OF the earth recoiled on the
strikers and scattered them 10 the four
winds of heaven, leaving the territory
ley had 50 ing enj 'yed, in the pos
session o the defeated vIctors. The
con ;lusinn pf the war de
partment wa- To occlpy the Yellow
stone valley At str ite ,ic points Dy two
forts from which, shou d IL b. n-ce--
sary, operation. against the Indi aus
could b. carried on. The points s..
lec,ed We're thu present sites OF Forts
K-ogh and Custer.
Fort K.ogn, located on the broad
plain that gradually tspsring to a
point marks the confluence of the
Tongue aud Yellowstone rivers, was
in the fall of 1876 grrisoned by ,he
Fiflh U. ). infantry, then commanded
10y Colonel-Dow GENERALIZATION A.
Miler. AT that time the fort was a
fort ony IN embryo, technically
known rs a cantonment, and was
Of an aggregation o. log
-hscks and dugouts barely sffording
shelter to the garrison. Tue lines Of
the reservation included the location
of the present City Of Miles. The
large business in the way of CONTRACT
ing, freightiDg and merchandising in-
cident TO the construction OF ten
company post, necessarily induced the
presence OF large number Of citizen
employees, speculaIors, adventures,
and the usual contingent of the sport
ing element. both male aud female, go
prominent in all frontier towns. By
common consent a location was taken
on the east bank OF the Yellowstone
sdjoiuing the exterior line of the res
ervatioD and about three miles distant
from the present location OF the city,
on which the new town was built aud
la honor OF the cOmmandaut at Fort
Keogb cbristened Miles City. A city
even then, thanks TO the assurance oi
its founders. Though a city IN name
Il was far from being one 10 either o.
tn {. important attributes OF population
or building, though the volume OF bus
iness transacted In the rude log
shacks by the handful Of pushing and
energetic citizens was sufficient to
make II aud its merchants well knowu
10 the Wholesale dealers OF st. Paul,
Minneapolis and Chicago. Tue occu
patton OF the Yellow stone valley by
the military necessitated the attempt
to navigate the Yellowstone river FOL
Commercial purposes which had beet
barely experimental in the Custer
campaign as a military necessty-and
80 IL came about that the Missouri
river packets turned their noses Into
the swift running current OF the yell
lowstone at Fort Buford aud Miles
City gained In prominencs |" ship
ping aud receiving point, aud during
the season OF neyigstion-from about
the middle OF June tlll the middle oil
August-a very busy city u was, for
during this short period all the up
pile. for the next twelve months bad
10 be brought op. aud M money ws'
plenty and trade good large and
rich ly assorted stocks were taken In.
But there seemed 10 be latent feel