I know it's been done here before, but it truly is my favorite thing about MilesCity.com, reminiscing about the great things we remember. I know it's just a matter of time before the Penguin comes up, and I also know that these things could probably be found by doing a simple search of the site, but I'm going to start with a few anyway.

-You could drive all the way around Spotted Eagle?

-You could climb Carbon Hill?

-Someone dropped hundreds of ping pong balls from the sky in the parking lot of Buttreys?

Ahh...the best of times.


FH

The ping pong balls were marked for prizes and was put on by Buttrey's and Tempo. It was kind of a flop, it was windy.

Remember when...

- You could get two plump and juicy hot dogs for a dollar at Frank Hardy's Hawaiian Hot Dog House?

Remember when...

Recreation Lanes had a lunch counter? As a kid I would get an order of toast and jelly there.

When the curfew siren used to go off every night at 10?
Watching water skiers jump the ramp at the “boating pond”?
The Beacon Carter Café?
The Husky truck stop at the Baker exchange?

The Ten Spot Cafe
Playing hooky in Grants Pool Hall
The Bean Bag
La Grandeurs
A & W Drive In
Red Rock Drive In
And of course, dragging Main

[Edited by Tom Masa (3/2/2017 6:26:35 PM)]

Remember when...

there was at least one live band playing in town and sometimes two or three pretty much every day of the week?

"Concerts" at the Armory.

Frequent keggers.

Strippers at Kelly's Gaslight (and the drinking age was 18).

The mosquito problem reaching the point where that pesticide truck would spray all that nasty, smelly chemical all over town...and it still didn't seem to help much?

Also Howard Letke's Ice Cream truck in the summers.

Hanging out at the firework stands all over town every June and July.

Picnics at places like Pumping Plant Park, Riverside and Woodruff Park...

Sitting in a a barrel chair, with a pitcher of draft beer, just out of the oven pizza, and great conversation at the old Airport Inn. Alsothe constant rattle of the bowling game...

Remember when you could ride your bicycle through the park.

The Penguin Shop Ice Cream

If I get started, I will never stop. . . .

Stopping for penny candy at the Bean Bag on the way home from Junior High.

Buying "Flicks" chocolate candies at the movie theater.

I forgot about those.

A dime bag could get you high for a week.

Remember when the POTUS used to get his intelligence briefings from his national security advisers instead of conspiracy theorists on the internet and Fox & Friends?

There were houses across S. Custer from Lincoln School? One was my grandmother's.

South Haynes Avenue was just the road to Broadus?

The parade grounds at Fort Keough was surrounded by the "officers homes"? My Aunt and Uncle and their family lived in one of he duplexes.

There was no "D" in CCHS?

Ken Ziebarth

A few more:

There was a Safeway on 7th in the block north of the Post Office?

There was a winter skating rink in the old river bed "High School Bowl" on Lake St? Warming was an open fire.

Saturday afternoon Double Features at the Park Theatre?

There were passenger trains, on BOTH railroads.


Ken Z

[Edited by Ken Ziebarth (3/6/2017 2:13:26 PM)]

How about the IGA (or was it a Safeway???) on Main?

Reynolds was on Main when I was a kid. I think it was on the corner of 9th and Main, just across from Penny’s.

My earliest memories of Miles City were of trips from Billings to visit my grandparents, sometimes via Greyhound Bus, who had a farm/ranch south of town.

The Interstate wasn't yet finished, I don't believe there was a speed limit during daytime hours, and a portion of the road consisted of a somewhat twisty 2-lane highway featuring little stone pillars on the edge instead of a guardrail.

Riding the bus at night - after what seemed like a long trip, then coming down the big hill towards town with the lights of Miles City in the distance, trying to fill the valley.

Taking the first exit and the bus pulling into the 600 Cafe - and seeing my grandparents there waiting, with their relatively shiny new 1973 Pontiac Catalina - a huge boat of a car.

Then riding with them down Main Street, with all of its businesses and fancy lights and such, then going under the Underpass (which seemed like one of the coolest things to me back then), continuing to the Boys School corner, taking the curve of the road down Haynes Ave. - which was very sparsely populated at the time - and finally back under the Interstate and out into the wide open darkness south of town. Eventually getting to the ranch.

At other points of time, the occasional trip to town with family to go grocery shopping at Reynolds or Buttreys, or to go out for ice cream or somewhere to eat like Dairy Queen, or A&W, or Airport Inn, or Red Rock Supper Club, or Crossroads, or the 600 Cafe, or the Hole In The Wall.

Hal Neumann wrote:

Reynolds was on Main when I was a kid. I think it was on the corner of 9th and Main, just across from Penny’s.

Unless I'm mistaken, there was a grocery store down by the VA - almost to the boys school. I can't remember if it was IGA or Safeway though.

I think that was Jack’s IGA.

There was also a store, I think it was also an IGA, just before the tracks on Leighton. I think was called Haley’s (? Sp?).

I could have the names reversed in relationship to the locations.

Before it was the Hole In the Wall it was The Stockman's Bar.

I am pretty sure Jack's IGA was where Carquest Auto Parts is located today. A&T Supply used to be in that location prior to Carquest.

I don't recall that ever being a grocery store in my lifetime. I wonder when Jack's IGA closed.

David Schott wrote:

I am pretty sure Jack's IGA was where Carquest Auto Parts is located today. A&T Supply used to be in that location prior to Carquest.

I don't recall that ever being a grocery store in my lifetime. I wonder when Jack's IGA closed.

I don't think it was a grocery store in my lifetime either, and we're about the same age - but, I'm not yet convinced it wasn't also a Safeway at some point, perhaps earlier.

When you look at the building, wasn't that an old Safeway-type shape? Or did perhaps IGA mimic it?

Safeway used to be next to where Steadman's Ace Hardware is now. I remember Keith Wittenhagen's mom used to do the Safeway commercials. I don't think the A&T building was ever a grocery store (since my dad or grandpa were part owners for most of my life).

What is now the Senior Center was the "Harmony Hangout"?

[Edited by Ken Ziebarth (3/6/2017 4:38:00 PM)]

Jerry Huss claimed here that the A&T Supply building was the location of Jack's IGA and that before that it was the Purity Dairy.

Those Safeway commercials featuring Nettie Wittenhagen were great. That Safeway was built brand new in about 1980. It replaced the Safeway that was on Palmer and N 7th St. That Safeway was one of the first stores I ever saw that had the UPC scanners at the checkout. Reynolds in Miles City had UPC scanners pretty early as well. I don't recall for sure... they might've gotten UPC scanners before Safeway. Prior to Reynolds getting UPC scanners you had to write the price on each item using a grease pen. Warehouse grocery shopping at its finest.

I talked with my mom, she said Safeway was on 7th, across from the post office, but 3rd block down from Main Street.

She also said that the store across from the VA was an IGA until perhaps the 1950's, then it became A&T farm supply or something like that. The Johnsgard (sp?) family owned it.

Keep in mind, she's an old lady, but anyway, that's what she remembers.

So anyway, I guess the store in question was a Jack's IGA and not a Safeway as I guessed.

Well, Dave beat me to it. Basically what he said in regards to the stores is what my mom just mentioned to me.

Google Street View shows the building that was Safeway in the '50s is now Blue Rock Distributing.
Ken Z

Here's an old photo from Flickr that shows the inside of an old (Main Street?) location of a Miles City Safeway:

@ Safeway early 40's by omlyatmc, on Flickr

omlyatmc commented:

?, Jack Clifford, John Shine, Eddie Lynam, ? Storms, Norman Almli, Otis Harris, George Sweeney, Merd Fuller, Jack Beardsley

Here is the circa. 1979/1980 Safeway building that later became Mac's IGA and County Market and today is Mexico Lindo, Dollar Tree, and Aaron's:

Former County Market Grocery, Miles City

Steadman Plaza, Miles City

Here is the old Safeway building on Palmer at N 7th Street -- today it is Blue Rock Distributing:

Blue Rock Distributing Company, Miles City

I have vague memories of shopping at this location (my family was more likely to shop at Buttrey's and Reynolds).

I remember Gladys Snell taking me and her granddaughter Chris to this store one time. Gladys bought us each a candy item and I think I picked a pack of Beeman's gum.

I remember walking out of this store one night when I was just a kid -- about 10 or 11. It was dark and as I was walking along the sidewalk in front of the store some guy who was sitting in a parked car honked his horn just to startle me. It worked. I probably jumped about 3 feet in the air. I recall that I was ticked and I yelled at him, "Jerk!".

David Schott wrote:

Here is the old Safeway building on Palmer at N 7th Street -- today it is Blue Rock Distributing

Yep, that totally looks like one of the old Safeway stores.

As a kid went to that Safeway a lot as we lived just west about a half block on Orr Street. When a little older, knew a worker there that we could go through her check out lane and sell us beer when we were underage.

Not long after my family moved to Miles City in 1966, a market called Sawyers, just west of the tracks on Leighton, burned down. I remember going by the next day and seeing canned goods exploded all over the place.

I remember the juke box in the Airport Inn at about that time. It was loaded with Patsy Kline, Kitty Wells, Johnny Cash and the like. Coolest place ever!

My earliest memories of Miles City are probably about 5 years later than Larry's, and kind of form an inverse - we eventually lived on a place just south of town that his grandparents had owned (although I'm not sure if he meant that place or the Log Creek place). I think Dad bought that place in 1978-1980 or so, and I can remember Lynn and Snew still living on the old dairy, so there may have been some overlap - anyways, we didn't actually start living there until the summer of 1985.

We'd do all the haying out in Stacey first, and then move the operation into the irrigated land outside Miles City, so the big landmarks for me coming into town were: the big hill overlooking Volborg (because we might stop and get a treat), Powderville turn-off, the big hill just before Oschners, Horizon, and finally Haynes Avenue and the Boy's School. Every time we drove by, Dad would tell me - "if you don't behave, I'll drop you off there on the way out of town"

We usually got the first cutting wrapped up at McFarlands in the first week or so of July, if I remember correctly - we'd usually celebrate by going out to the Airport Inn. Good times.

"H Lockie" said here that Safeway used to be located on Main Street where Miles City Saddlery is located today. Do you suppose that old photo above is the Miles City Saddlery building?

I know Safeway was on the corner of 7th and Orr in 1959/1960 as it was within a year or so that we moved from SE MC to our house on Orr Street as I was in grade school at SHHS. Where it was before that I don't know. There was a Sawyers Store across the tracks further north on the left side of 7th Street.

A hot carmel roll from the Met Cafe. I used to get one before delivering the Billings Gazette.

Remember when Klamms Bar was on the corner of Leighton and Highway 10, now Valley Drive East, across Leighton from the Sage Brush Motel and kitty corner from Yellowstone Bar Supply. You could buy Cherry Bombs for 5 cents each from old man Klamm. It was a round building and had slot machines.

Anybody else here remember Paragon Pit? How about the quarter miles marked at Kinsey and old Highway 10? There was one out at Fort Keogh until they put a gate up. How about the Montana Centennial Train when it was parked at the old NP depot for a few days? 1964

Dwayne Rude wrote:

A hot carmel roll from the Met Cafe. I used to get one before delivering the Billings Gazette.

I used to deliver the Billings Gazette as well. I think there were 300 or so customers on my (auto) route on Sunday. When did you do it?

The grocery store that was in what became the old A&T Supply – was apparently Jack’s Foodtown.

https://milescity.com/for...view/30323
http://www.worthpoint.com...-642057509
http://billingsgazette.co...74df0.html

= = = = = = = = = =

I thought Sawyer’s was on the 400 block of North 7th.

Hal Neumann wrote:

The grocery store that was in what became the old A&T Supply – was apparently Jack’s Foodtown.

I was thinking about this more last night, and recall my grandparents always referred to it as the "IGA Building" - I guess that is how I knew it that way.

Also, I remembered my grandfather taking me to A&T Supply - to get whatever it was he needed - and they had one of the old-style soda pop machines inside, the type with glass bottles that you paid a deposit on.

Nice work, Hal. I wonder if Jack's Foodtown ever became known as Jack's IGA.

That obituary for Jack Clifford says that Jack's IGA in Forsyth was the first grocery store in Montana to install electronic scanners.

Bridgier wrote:

My earliest memories of Miles City are probably about 5 years later than Larry's, and kind of form an inverse - we eventually lived on a place just south of town that his grandparents had owned (although I'm not sure if he meant that place or the Log Creek place).

Yep, the memories I posted were for the same place, just earlier times for me - heading out to the old place my grandparents owned at the 7 mile marker south of town.

Sawyers was across the tracks going north on 7th. I believe it was tire store in later years and maybe a video store later on. If I remember right it was a stucco building.

MilesCity.com Webmaster wrote:

Dwayne Rude wrote:

A hot carmel roll from the Met Cafe. I used to get one before delivering the Billings Gazette.

I used to deliver the Billings Gazette as well. I think there were 300 or so customers on my (auto) route on Sunday. When did you do it?

I had a route that included the VA. It was a nice place to get to in the winter. It was in 1974 and 1975.

Sawyers was across the tracks going north on 7th.

I'm thinking there were grain elevators on both side north of the tracks. Sawyer's was in kind of a long, narrow building, just south/across the alley from the woolhouse. The building is still there and shows up on google maps.

= = = = = = = = =

I'm thinking Safeway moved from the N. 9th location around 1979-80. I lived in the neighborhood and it seem to me that it was still there around that time.

According to the Montana Cadastral website construction of the Safeway building on S. Haynes Ave. ("Steadman Plaza" today) started in 1979 and the building went into use in 1980.

Hal you are right about the Sawyer's store on N 7th. Even though I had moved from MC at the time Safeway moved it was strange having to drive to a grocery store when you could walk a half block. When I was younger, my mother would get our grocery in a grocery cart and push it the half block and it was my job to take the empty cart back to the store. I would say why don't you take it back the next you go grocery shopping. She would say the store wouldn't like it if was gone too long. Later on, I learned that the workers in the store encouraged it of their regular customers who lived nearby. But still I had to take it the half block back to the store. Such a drain on my important time. LOL

[Edited by Tom Masa (3/8/2017 8:51:50 AM)]

When you walked into the 600 Lounge and Gardner Grenz would greet you with "you should have gotten here earlier. The dancing girls just left." And when you were ready to leave he would tell you "Stick around. The dancing girls just called, and they are on the way".

His favorite trick was to pour a free shot of schnapps when you started talking about changing bars. For a $0.25 shot he could usually get you to stick around another hour or two and spend another $5.00. I have never met another person who was so smooth at putting his hand on your wallet while keeping you entertained.

Nostravia!

Yeah, having a grocery store within a few blocks (in most every neighborhood in town) was one of the “small-town” charms of Miles when I was a kid.

My Grandmother lived within easy walking distance of Reynolds when it was on Main, the Southside Grocery, Lincoln grocery, and Herb’s.

I remember when Miles City meant "Dr. Pellet" which meant free ice cream cones from Dairy Queen on Yellowstone Valley Drive.

I also remember when going to Buttreys on Yellowstone Valley Drive meant a jelly filled doughnut for the ride back to our farm near Brockway!

I also remember going to the shoe store on Main Street for school shoes.

Meg wrote:

I also remember when going to Buttreys on Yellowstone Valley Drive meant a jelly filled doughnut for the ride back to our farm near Brockway!

I've eaten a few Buttreys doughnuts in my time, I have to confess. I remember going to the grocery store with Mom and stopping by the bakery to get a free donut hole. I also remember buying a dozen donut holes that would often turn out to be a "baker's dozen".

Anyone who had Dee Walden for a teacher in high school probably remembers going for donut runs in his class.

1963 Buttreys Super Store Ad, Miles City

Grants pool hall,how about the first gang in miles city,satan angles.bad boys'some are still alive.I look for this to stur things up a little.

David Schott wrote:

"H Lockie" said here that Safeway used to be located on Main Street where Miles City Saddlery is located today. Do you suppose that old photo above is the Miles City Saddlery building?

The grocery where the Saddlery now is was Reynold's before they moved out "to the Dairy Queen".
Ken Ziebarth

[Edited by Ken Ziebarth (6/23/2017 5:57:21 PM)]

Ken, if I have this right, Reynolds was in the building on the southwest corner of 9th and Main. That building housed Coast to Coast after Reynolds moved to Valley Drive East.

The Coast to Coast building burned down in 1989. Steadmans rebuilt it and eventually moved their hardware store (now Steadman's Ace Hardware) to the old Kmart building on S. Haynes Ave. At that time the Miles City Star / Star Office Supply / KATL moved into the Steadman's Hardware/Coast to Coast building on Main St.

- Dave

This old post card shows the Reynolds/Coast to Coast Building on the left with the Miles City Saddlery (present day location) building mid-block just past the Reynolds building. Interesting that Rexall Drug was in that Reynolds building at the time of the post card photo. In my youth Thompson Rexall Drugs was one block west on the southwest corner of 8th and Main.

This is the corner building today with the Saddlery to the right of it.

Miles City Star Building

Yes, Reynolds was on the corner. I do now remember that the last time I was there the Star was on that corner. I had forgotten, or didn't know about THAT fire.

(Someone should post a list of Miles City Main Street fires. But that would probably be too depressing. A list of blocks not burned might be shorter.)
KenZ

When there were three movie theaters. They were the Liberty, Park and Montana and there was no TV.

I don't recall the Liberty Theater but then my family didn't move to Miles City until 1966. Where was it located and when did it close?

The Liberty Theater was located on the south side of the 8th block of Main Street. There is an exercise business there now. It had a balcony, where I liked to sit.

Could anyone help me find some pictures of Miles City from 1927-1935? My father, Harry Stumpos was born in Miles City on September 19, 1927. He also went to school for a few years in Glendive and he claims to be the marble champion of Glendive! If anyone has any information, I would really appreciate it. He is turning 90 in a few weeks and I have been looking online for info and I came across this wonderful forum. I'm trying to put together a story board about his time in Montana for his birthday party. Unfortunately, he does not have any pictures of his time in Montana. Thanks, Laris Stumpos

I would go through the books that are listed at the bottom of the forums page. Dusting Off the Old Ones, and all the others in the History section. Perhaps even make it part of your gift for your father to be able to read the stories himself. You never know what will trigger his memories.

Sawyer's Stores were all architechturally similar, almost identical: Long, narrow building, with two picture windows in the front which bordered an inset central doorway that was accessed by ascending four or five stairs. The structure was of poured concrete brought in by rail. The reason that the floor level was several steps above ground level was that every Sawyers Store (at least in this area) along the NPRR, was built next to its own rail spur,and the store floor needed to be level with the box car delivering goods. Sawyer's could offer fresher fruits and vegatables at better prices because of rail delivery. As highways were developed and truck refrigeration became more economical, Sawyers couldn't compete due to their location away from retail centers. Good example of old Sawyers Stores that I've seen are Miles City, Forsyth, and Big Timber. I am certain that other NPRR towns have these old retail relics down by the rail yard.

Oddjob,
Your post about Gardner Grenz is a little lacking about such a truly fine Miles City man. He was OVER THE TOP generous.
Trick: He also sprinkled HOT SAUCE on the popcorn because he knew this would demand from the patrons more beer. When anyone complained ever so slightly about the (very, very light) different taste, Gardner would explain,
"Must be some older popcorn. I will make another batch for you." And, of course, the complainant would reply, "No, that is alight, don't pop another batch just for me." And, Gardner always had ALL of his popcorn eaten........and sold a lot of beer this way.

New Years Day, 1975, I had just started (very first day) running Gardner's poker game in the 600 Lounge. Three (3) Main Street businessmen were partying and wanted to play 21. So, I do not know how to *turn* a deck, but, I can deal poker and 21 very decently. We started a nice 21 game about 9 PM.
At 0200, closing, they were happy as all get out. Drunk, but very happy to have gotten the chance to play 21.
Next morning when I went downstairs to meet Gardner and cut the money he and I had $2,280 to split and he was very pleased. He counted the cash and handed me $1,180 of the #2,280, told me how nice it was for a first day's affair, and, he paid off the $600 he owed on the new cigarette machine.

He was absolutely one of the very best.

Rob Shipley

Remembering when Spotted Eagle was under construction
*****************************************************
This was the spring of 1965 and my class at CCHS used Spotted Eagle for keggers.
We'd have our bootlegger buy two (2) kegs of beer at Parker's for $18.00 each I remember, plus the $10 for the tap that was returned after its use in order to get back our deposit. $36 for two (2) kegs of cold beer.
We'd charge the boys $1.00 each and of course all the girls from both high schools, SHHS and CCHS, attended FREE..

We made $50 or $60 profit and everyone had a great time.

Rob Shipley

WOW I like all of the pictures of all of the old buildings thanks guys, I especially like the one of the old main street when there were all kinds of stores, bars, and such, I used to love walking down main street after school strolling with my friends window shopping, and getting candy or ice cream from Ben Franklin's and our mom would get mad because it took us longer to get home lol, but boy was it a blast What a shame that we barely have that anymore! Sure do miss those fun days