was the 600 bar in the same place as the 600 today?? If so that is an interesting picture compared to the web cam...
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The 600 has been in the same place since 1947. The Stockman Bar is now the Hole in the Wall. The Miles Howard Hotel, Met Cafe and Golden Spur burned in the 80's. The Montana Bar is where the Montana has been since 1913 (well, 1908 but the current building dates from 1913). U.S. Garden restaurant building is still there. The Bison is, well, the Bison. The Wibaux building burned in 1964, Log Cabin Cafe down to the Texas Club taken down by the bank for expansion.

I love looking at these old pictures. Thanks for posting this! How different times were then and now. Thanks again. Carli

Hal, do you mind me placing this on the MilesCam website, on a Before and After page?

Any idea on the date of this photo? My guess would be late 40's. The MDU smokestack is cool.

Thank you for posting this picture. Does anyone have a close-up picture of the front of the Met Cafe? That has such meaning for me!

I love the buses. I suppose the Met was the lunch stop.

Also any idea what businesses were between the Montana Bar and the Bison in this photo? My earliest memory was Coast-Coast and John Stockhil but I think that was later.

I've always wondered why Stockman Bank used arched windows in the building - they don't appear anywhere else on Main Street. Now that I've seen a photo of the grand Wibaux Building, the mystery is solved.

I've posted this before - but I think it's a great photo of the Stockman Bar.

Josh,

I have no idea who might own the rights to it, if anyone does. But as far as I'm concerned, you're welcome to use it.

Is there any remnant or land mark of sorts as to where that MDU smoke stack sat?? That is something I have never seen except in the old pictures and I was curious as to how large it was, height and diameter. From the picture it looks huge.

Here's a postcard image of the stack from around 1910. I think it was still owned by the city at that time.

Thanks Hal, that is another neat piece of Miles City I did not know about.

There was a thread some years back in which we discussed the stack. I had hoped someone would come up with a date for when it was knocked down, but as I recall no one did. Perhaps Amorette will run across an article in the paper someday and fill us in on the details.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =


There are links to some more old photos & postcard images in these threads.

http://www.milescity.com/...fpid=35956
http://www.milescity.com/...fpid=35680
http://www.milescity.com/...fpid=35461
http://www.milescity.com/...fpid=35955

[This message has been edited by Hal Neumann (8/27/2009)]

Hal, those are great!

Could you please detail the street/directions for that power plant one? I'm just not getting a bead on it.

I hope I'm not duplicating someone else. The original 600 bar with which I'm familiar circa 1950s, was in the basement of the 600 Cafe.

On another note, the first Greyhound the school district owned was a 1947 and had a 4 speed column shift. You lifted a toggle switch up while you shifted from 1st to 2nd and you were in reverse. First bus I drove for the school in 1967 with Hartse and the band.

With regard to Dan's inquiry: The stack was located behind and to the east (left in the postcard) of the still existing MC Laundry. On another side note, the plant blew a whistle at 8:00a m, 12 noon, 6:00 p m, and 9:00 p m (curfew)as I recall.

The Miles Howard Hotel was the Greyhound Bus depot for Miles City. During my brief time delivering the Great Falls Tribune to the (very few) subscribers in Miles City, I picked up my load there every afternoon. The picture of me getting Gene Autry's autograph, posted here somewhere, was taken in the lobby.

The MDU powerplant was on the south side of Bridge between 7th and 10th, closer to 7th. I think the cross street on the postcard is 8th. The building at the right edge was the Miles City Steam Laundry, which used steam from the plant, and was still standing in June. You can see a representation of rail cars behind the building. Strangely my clear memory is that the stack was at the other end of the building, so it goes.

The Milligan Hotel sign still makes my teeth hurt. A dentist who shall remain nameless, although I am afraid I may remember it, had his office with the peddle-powered grinder/drill, well maybe I'm not quite THAT old, on the 6th street side of the Milligan. When I visit I still can't even walk along that block.

Ken Ziebarth

Hal:

Somebody mentioned they thought the MDU stack came down sometime between 1972 and 1974. If that's the case, I'm thinking the stack was demolished in 1972. When I got out of the service in June, I worked on the City maintenance crew in the late summer and fall of that year. I remember some of the City crew guys commenting that life was good compared to what the men taking down the stack were doing. The demolition crew mounted slip scaffolding around the top of the stack and were knocking bricks into the stack. As they brought a section down they would lower the scaffolding and take out another section. They did that most the way down and it was quite the process to watch.

I remember I didn't envy the demolition crew any, to work that high when the wind was blowing like hell.

The demolition crew were specialists brought in for the job. The two guys who took it down did that sort of work all the time. Some people are just not bothered by heights.

The funniest caption of all time in the MC Star occurred while they were tearing down the smoke stack. There was a picture from the top of the stack and the caption underneath read "This is NOT a Geo. Larson photo"

Jim, `72 or thereabouts fits in with what I remember of it.

Although I can't recall the exact time, I do recall that the sky line in Miles looked empty for a long time after that.

I went to that dentist, as well, and it was a terrible experience!

A few years ago I ran across this picture from the Elks convention parade in 1909.
Note the original entry to what is now the 600 adorned with decorative draperies for the days event. How about those street lights..

At one time near the Bison wasn't there a spudnut shop maybe run by the same people that had the drive-in theater? John Stickelmeyer had a cafe or something at one time near there. May be wrong on some of this.

Here's a portion of a Sanborn map showing the layout of the MDU complex ca. 1948. It states that the stack was 217 feet high.

http://i221.photobucket.c...U_1948.jpg

At one time near the Bison wasn't there a spudnut shop maybe run by the same people that had the drive-in theater? John Stickelmeyer had a cafe or something at one time near there. May be wrong on some of this.

I think you are right. I remember some of the progression to be Stockhill's(?) (or a jewelry shop), the Spudnut Shop, a series of restaurants (including a business run by the Stickelmeyer's) and eventually the Wilson Boot shop. There may have been others....

Questoin: How long has the Milligan Hotel been out of use? Could it ever be resored, if someone had the money, to be a decent hotel again? Just curious, but what shape is the upstairs in?

I love these vintage pictures -- some of them are as old as I am -- and your comments. Does anyone have pictures of Bridge Street and the other auto dealers with new cars in their showrooms? Or of the Nash and Hudson dealers on the opposite ends of Main Street?

About the Main Street picture, my barber used to be in the window next to the Stockman bar. You'd go into the same door as the Golden Spur Lounge and the Miles Howard Hotel. I used to sit and watch people go by on Main Street as I got my hair cut. The barber's name was Reid. I'm blank on his first name.

Bill Huntzicker, [email protected]

Wasn't that dentist Dr. Nansel? (looked like Steve Allen?) Not the most gentle dentist. Wasn't he on 6th St. above Fosters Drug?
Again, any close-up pictures of the Met Cafe?

This is from 1959 or thereabouts:

Again, any close-up pictures of the Met Cafe?

Hal has a tremendous collection of postcards and photos of Miles City. This is one from his collection that shows the Met Cafe dining room.



http://s221.photobucket.c...ard-1a.jpg

Thanks David - forgot I had that one.

Bill, I'm not sure exactly where Love Motors was located, maybe someone could help us out with that. I'm assuming it was on Main street. The caption read "Jubilee parade 1934 Miles City"

I have it in my head that Love Motors was located where Miles City Ford was located which is where Stockman Center is today -- the southeast corner of Bridge and 7th. Can anyone confirm that?

The Love Motors Used Car Lot that's shown in MG's photo... my guess is that it was located on the southeast corner of Bridge and 5th. That's just a guess.

- Dave

Thank you, David!

Here's Northern Motor Company on Bridge Street.



A larger version of the photo is here:

http://farm1.static.flick...c226_o.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/pho...123422060/

David: that is affirmative. And the Northern Motors building/location became Charlie Hatch's Studebaker and Case dealership. Served as a sort of warehouse I believe until burning to the ground in '80s? while Fred Anderson had his Corvette and rail dragster stored there among some other vehicles. Lost it all.

What was the name of the bar across 7th street to the west from Foster Drug (Big Sky)where there is a bank is now?

Thanks, Bill. I think the Northern Motors building housed a "Color Tile" store prior to being the warehouse it was being used as at the time it burned.

The bar across 7th street from Foster Drug to the west, was Russells Bar. It was there in the 40's & 50's or until they built the new First National Bank (now US Bank).

I remember watching that fire. It was The Color TV Clinic for a while after ColorTime. Now it's Recreation Lanes parking lot. We watched from outside the Moose (latter the new 600 Lounge until Paul Passed away) I was fascinated by the way Dr. Anderson's fiberglass cars looked after the fire.
As I recall the building was shaped differently. Are we sure the building in the picture isn't the present day Stockman Bank Center? Before a few remodels and additions. I think the horses are heading north towards Main. Another reason I ask is the lack of what is now the Creative Corner flower shop building. I think that building is older than the one pictured.
Hmmm...

Larry and I went over that "Northern Motor Company" photo pretty extensively back in 1998. Other clues... just above the Northern Motor Co. sign in the distance you can see the "Mandan Creamery Co." which, I think, is where Sanitary Dairy used to be in later years. Also, you can see the "N.P. Hotel" just left of and slightly above the tent.

My money is on that being the former Color Tile building at the southwest corner of 7th and Bridge.

Sandy's Creative Corner used to be Provost Motors Dodge when I was a kid.

Here's a photo I took of that corner back in May of 1998. Sorry the resolution is so poor, digital camera technology was pretty new in 1998.

One thing that stands out in this photo is the tall pole prominently located on the corner. There was a tall pole in the Northern Motor Co. photo as well but I'm not convinced they are the same poles.



http://www.flickr.com/pho...189515656/

Dave: You are right re: Color Tile. I had forgotten about them. Love Motor in the very early '50s was where Stockman Bank has its parking lot and drive-up window. I remember the Budwieser teams being stalled in there while preparing to be in an early Bucking Horse parade. Where Stockman Bank has its processing center is the more recent Love Motor location. Before that it was a blacksmithy and something else. Where employees park their cars now just to the east of the building and facing S. 8th, is where Larry Mott, early mayor and owner of the steam laundry, had his home. I visited there as a child.

Ok, I agree that the Color tile / TV clinic building that burned along with Dr. A's hot rods was located on the SW corner of Bridge & 8th, directly across Bridge st from the Moose / 600 Lounge and next door to Provost Motor / Sandy's Creative Corner. However, I'm convinced that the Northern Motor building in the picture still exists today on the SE corner of that same intersection. If you look at the building today you will see the curved corner of the building where the Northern Motors sign in mounted still exists. You can also see the changes in the exterior walls where the additions were built on to the original square building.
Having said that and along with all the parade activity on 7th, I am thinking that the picture I posted of the Love Motors lot next to a laundry may be further south on the same block (in preceding years).

You're saying this is the same building as the Northern Motor Co. building?



http://www.flickr.com/pho...189515582/

I guess I would have to find out why a parade was going that direction on Bridge st.

The Northern Motor co. building is the parking lot. While the Stockman Center has been remodeled many times, it never had that distinctive curved front.

I believe the "Color Tile" building burned in December 1984. It might be in the "25 years ago" Stardust column in the Miles City Star this December.

MG... our old friend Dion's parents used to manage the ColorTile back in the day - and he and I used to hang out there sometimes. He's on Facebook - friendly to talk to - could probably get details from him?

Either way, I thought it went down in 84 or so - and is the parking lot, too.

Russells Bar ... that doesn't seem right. I keep thinking it had a name something to do with a deck of cards. I had to be there in the late 50's to early 60's.

[This message has been edited by Tom Masa (8/31/2009)]

You are right about the "deck of cards." In its waning year(s) it did become the Club Bar.

I think that the business was "Color Clinic", a paint store, at the time that it burned. The building was Sullivan Motors, a Studebaker dealership, at one time, run by Bob Sullivan. My recollection is that Sullivan also sold televisions.

Bill
You are correct, sir. Seems to me it had a "club" engrained on the floor. I was young, a teenager but I used to walk a neighbor home that had too much to drink.
The Montana always was my favorite and still is when I get home. My dad liked the Log Cabin.

I am curious- does anyone know any of the gentlemen standing in front of the Stockman?

At one time I'm pretty sure that Love Motor had a bodyshop in part of what became the Colortile building.The fire that destroyed Dr. Fred's 1959 Corvette also destroyed Lt. Jim Ross's[Mile City's ex-resident Blue Angel [ret.] ]58 or 59 Corvette,63 Corvette,28 Model A hot rod and several vintage Maico dirt bikes.
A friend of mine says in '91 he was in the top floor of the Miles Milligan hotel and it was pretty much the way it was when it was shut down[furnished,etc.]He says there was still TP on the rollers and old advertisement flyers in the rooms.

I think that the business was "Color Clinic", a paint store,

Interesting. Are you saying that the store was never a "Color Tile" flooring store but was instead a paint store called "Color Clinic"? Or are you saying that the "Color Tile" flooring store closed and eventually became a "Color Clinic" paint store?

I wasn't much into home improvement when the store existed so I can't say that I spent much time there.

- Dave

Right you are Mr. Huss. When the TV repair guy moved in he simply modified the sign to say Color tv Clinic. I don't think that business lasted long, but I remember that sign. (I knew Color Tile didn't sound quite right)

Bob Bradly and Don Bockness owned Color Clinic- Don sold out to Bob and Bob sold to Dennis Thompson. Shortly there after it became a tv repair shop and burned. The building was owned by Hal Ross.

Did Don have a son named Evan?

No

I agree.

was the 600 bar in the same place as the 600 today??

The original 600 bar with which I'm familiar circa 1950s, was in the basement of the 600 Cafe.

Hey Bill & howdy, Chris Grenz opened the 600 bar in 1947. Over the next few years the bar evolved into a bar/lunch counter then a bar/cafe. I'm not sure when it started there but the VFW was located in the basement during those years. In 1954 the VFW moved out and Chris moved the bar to the basement and renamed the 600 cafe and the 600 lounge. Gardner Grenz returned from service in the Korean war in 1955 and took over the lounge. Gardner's son Paul took over the lounge after Gardner passed away in 1989 but had to move to the old Moose lodge building due to fire code changes.

I wonder how many names were scrawled on that big 'dogs in bar' picture in the old lounge...

[This message has been edited by MG (9/4/2009)]

If anyone has any vintage photos of the milligan hotel or the milligan house that they would not mind scanning in and e-mailing. Please send them to

[email protected]

i am also looking for anything from the hotel with the name on it other than post cards and matchbooks. Thank you so much

check eBay. Postcards, match books, tokens, show up regularly.

Speaking of the smokestack, wasn't it the source of the ten o'clock curfew in the early 60's. The whistle would scare the crap out of you if you were walking by Parkers Bar, or driving across the railroad tracks right there.

Wayne, I bet that whistle was on top of the court house building.

Nope. The whistle was at the steam laundry. They had the pressure. The air raid sirens were on the city hall and court house.

Does it still blow, or did it go away, in the summer it did'nt get dark until almost 10 o'clock.

That whistle sounded particularly eerie on a cold winter's night. It echoed for a full minute after it was done.

When did that night curfew horn end? I was born in '69 but I remember it as a little boy in the 70's.

So many questions...

1. Was the whistle on a timer or did someone have to go to the steam laundry every night at 10pm to blow the whistle?

2. Was the laundry in operation at 10p? Did they have a big boiler that was fired up 24 hours a day?

3. When did the curfew siren end? (My wild guess: 1977)

got all the photos i need but i would still like to purchase a seltzer bottle, room key or something other than a postcard or match book from the milligan house or hotel.
my e mail is still [email protected]
thanks

Can you tell me where you got that photo? I am looking for a high res version or a way to get a copy of it. Thanks!

Which photo are you referring to?

It is the main street photo

I don’t recall where I found the photo. Somewhere online, sometime ago.

It's a fairly common postcard on eBay. There are a couple versions with only minor differences in the captioning like this one-

https://www.cardcow.com/3...y-montana/

I know I won the bid for at least one, I'll have to check Mom's MC room to find out which.

If you know who eBay bidder MCEsq is/was, they are likely the #1 collector of non-Huffman Miles City postcards in the world. The undisputed #1 Huffman collector, I know. He's not so much in to MC stuff newer than Huffman.

[Edited by Dave Roberts (9/7/2016 9:36:27 PM)]

Great stuff and I have purchased those post cards on eBay... but still looking out for seltzer bottles, room keys and things from the Milligan house or hotel

Thanks Michael Milligan
909 654 9143
[email protected]