The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1923-08-31
|wlLES CITY WAS FOUNDED AS RESULT OF
I DETERMINATION OF CUSTER'S COMMAND


owes its name and location. Tn
4 construction of Fort Keogh wa
entrusted to General Nelson A. Miles
then colonel of the Fifth United
States infantry, and the necessity o
| fort that would command the Vel
i. lowstone country was made apparen
when Custer and his gallant command
were exterminated by the hostile In
dams. The troops were on the
ground soon after this massacre, anc
the fall and winter of 1876 were
lspent in the preparatory work OF sc
considerable an enterprise as the
building of a regimental post in the
virgin wilderness.
The military reservation of 10
miles square then included the pres
ent site of Miles City and the original
town of that name was started on the
south bank of the Yellowstone, about
two miles from the present location.
Here, crowding close to the reser-
walton line, the embryo city was
founded in the fall of 1876, and a
very profitable business was done by
those who were fortunate enough to
get on the ground with a stock of
goods-wet or dry-before the win
! ter closed in.
Transportation in that day was
chiefly dependent upon the merchant
marine of the Yellowstone, which
stream was navigable for loaded
steamers only during the season of
high water, during the summer, caus-
ed by the melting SHOWS in the noun
tains, and lasting from the middle
of May until about the middle of
July.
Troops Come
Other freighting was done during
the late summer, fall and winter by
wagon trains from Bismarck, but
this was expensive and used only for
the transportation of luxuries that
could stand the tariff of anywhere
from three to seven cents pound,
according to the season and necessi-
ties of the patron.
The mail, semi-weekly service,
came over this route on schedule
of four days from Bismarck, the dis
lance being about 800 miles. Day
and night travel was contemplated
by this schedule, but at this time
it was more night than day on &C
count of the danger from small war
parties of Indians, who on several oc-
casions made their presence known
and once ambushed a lonely stage
driver and left his bones to whiten
on the plains.
Late in 1877 the post was occu-
pied by the troops, the removal of
the garrison to its new quarters
opening a gap of some four miles be-
tween the town and the source of its
life and energy. This was a condi-
tion not to be endured any longer |
than was necessary, hence it happen
ed that in March, 1878, an order was
promulgated by the military authori-
ties throwing open that portion of the
lying east of Tongue river
Miles City rose en- masse
from it's temporary resting place on
the banks of the Yellowstone and
with much celebrity moved westward
two miles to the edge of the Tongue
river, swarming around the point
where the military had established
ferry and thus designated an official
gateway for the post.
The occupation of the new location
was fairly orderly. A townsite com
,any had been formed, composed of
representatives of the dominant in
.erests of the new community, and
his company laid out the new town,
,ut nominal prices on the lots, and
the business locations to
he several competitors all in way |
hat, if not wholly satisfactory, left !
10 serious differences.
AS it had been surmised that the I
original location was only temporary, ,
he old town never affected much in !
he way of architectural embellish-
nent. One story log shacks with dirt [
oofs were good enough for the time s
eing, but when the new town was {
egun, something in keeping with its 6
rowing Importance was demanded t
nd many of the store buildings that q
yere put up were lavishly adorned by Y
and ornamentation representing the s
eisurely toll of self respecting arti- O
ms who scorned to exercise their tai 2
mt at less than 81 per day. n
In Honor of Miles
The old town was named in honor h
General Miles, who, even at that h
me was a notable parsonage in mill