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

1881 the brick era was inaugursted by
Jos. leighton, president Of the Fint
NstiUnal bank, who erected the hrst
brick building in Miles City, contain.
ing the banking office and a store
room on The street Il or and q commo-
dlous hall up -tuirs, the brick for the
lie aud back walls being made here
and the front Of ~. Louis pressed
BRICK. From that time on brick
buildings rapidly replaced all the Gre
mated frame buildings and an air Of
stability Was taken on which has
grown with our growth until to-day
tIrrr i no town on the line OF the
Northern Pac tic thal, sg- and populs-
non considered rivals Miles City in
this respect.
Mlles Chy il not what Is technical
~ known us u IA lrosd town. these
owns ATE the Great, Ons Of the railroad.
iuuud-d by the railroad and built after
/ : advent INTO th- country; the pecu-
harlty GI such owns, and very un-
pleasaut peculi iarlty 1t is, is that the
Railroad Tght-oi-way, four hundred
feet wade, runs through the centre of
ths town, Hnh ils main street fronts
the track ON both sides Of this fuuF
nuDdred foot avenue, only one side Of
which Is usually butt upon, impartiug
"a lop-,ided and uuslghtly Appearance
10 the place. Iu M,les City the track
-klrts TIA, tbIBIy settled portion Of the
city ana the depot aud yards are In
Iuesuburb- where they OF right belong;
the result Is thai tae original plat Of
,he uwd l. uOt interfered with and
travel on he streets Is not hampered
10y any OF the Inconvenience or dan
gers OF railroad traffic.
Iu the winter Of 1879 so attention
was first attracted " eastern Mon
tana asa stocks rowing country, from
tue fact that lot Of work oxen be-
longing 10 one OF the large freightiDg
outfits that had been turned out in the
early winner 10 "ru.lle" vr die, turned
up .D the spring bog fat, having found
natures larder OF cured grasses under
the snow. In September, 1850, the
first herd VI range cattle from Texas
reached Custer county aud from that
time the stockgrowers of the south,
whose ranges we've fust being occupied
by the immigrant, began taking up
ranges IN this locality aud driving IN
7 m.nse herds Of southern cattle here:
this accession Of wealth aud populs-
ton continued until 1856. constltut-
ing most important era IN the history
Of the country, and changing the slst-
us Of Mile City from ali ordinary
frontier town 10 "cOw town" aud
the ackDow leJged centre Of the stock
growing industry Of Montana. Here
in April Of sacn year the Montana
StockgrOweTs' Association holds ito
annual meeting aud members from ell
part, ofLne United states meet and
deliberate for their mutual benefit.
Miles City is the county sest OF Custer
county, aud from Its central location
aud importance as a business centre
will always remain 80.
la lSS2 the county erected sub
stsniisl aud moderately ornate brick
court house. in the basement OF which
the county Jail is located and the two
upper stories are devoted TO the couD-
ty officers and court room. Two regu-
lar terms Of court are held here each
year, and the United States court for
the judicial district comprising the
counties Of Gsllstin, Madison, Park.
Custer and Yellowstone Is held here
also; the presiding judge OF The distrios
, making his home here. Although
/ always "city" by name, Miles City
has had legal claim TO the title only
: since September, 1857. In the early
: days two or three attempts were made
: to incorporate. but the "tough" sle-
: ment, then in the sscendanoy, were
opposed TO the change and having un-
, der the law q right to vote on the quss-
ton, IL was defeated. The legislature
Of 1885,, however, enacted q new law
for municipal interpretations, restrict
Ing tie vote TO resident tax payers and
under this law Miles City became In
oorporated last fall with scarcely .
dissenting vote, and is now full-nedg-
cd city, with all the rights and privi-
leses Of one.
In 1884 telephone exchange was
put In here and 10 1856 local capital
aud enterprise gave US the electric
light, which ~ now universally used
by our merchants and by the city gov
ernment In lighting the streets. Our
school sy-tem-described in another
ARTICLES fully up 10 the requirements
Of any enlightened community. Five
churches furnish the opportunities for
religious worship to .Prssby yterians,
) Methodists, Baptists, EpiscopsliAns
and Catholics; a commodious theatre
makes II possible for our citizens 10