Books
Dusting Off the Old Ones was published in 1961 by W. B. Clarke, Miles City, Montana.
What Building From Old Town Is Still Being Used On Main Street?
"Old Milestown" or "Old Miles City" was established on the banks of the Yellowstone in the middle 70's at a point about a mile and a half northeast of Miles City's present Main Street. There is no record of the fact that steamboats used to have a landing at the lower end of what is now known as Haynes Avenue, but the lore has been landed down that such is the case. With the Port Keogh military reservation extending to about where Haynes Avenue now is, the settlement known as "Old Town" was mostly to the east of it. An early day plat was evidently in existence as practically all of the instruments of record describe tracts by lots and blocks in the town of Miles.
The first conveyance was dated July 2, 1877, and filed for record on July 3, 1877. John McCormick was then County Clerk. One of the principal streets in Old Town was evidently "Casey Street". The first conveyance covered "one log house or shack situated in the town of Miles, Custer County, Montana Territory, together with 20 feet by 165 feet of lot 3, block 2." In many of these early conveyances, the description of the town of "Miles" - "Miles City" - "Town of Miles". Many of the conveyances listed the contents of the structures on the land conveyed. There was included hotels, dance halls and saloons with liquors and cigars, restaurants and billiard halls. Among the names included in these conveyances were those of folks later identified with the "New Miles City" or "Upper Miles City" as our town was termed in some of the early records. These names included such names as N. Borchardt, Miles City's first postmaster, Charles W. Savage, early day sheriff, Charles Brown who was interested in various enterprises as well as being a noted dispenser of justice. Charles Walker, who became Probate Judge; Margaret Anderson, who owned the building in which the Yellowstone Journal first set up shop; John Chinnick, who squatted on a tract which later was to become a great portion of the new town of Miles City and who also was a trouble maker and one of the rougher element in the early days; George Silverberg, John J. Graham, John Fraser, John Carter, Chris Hehli and many others. One of the buildings was moved from Old Town in later years and placed on Main Street in Miles City, where it still stands, although in a remodeled condition. Can you locate it?
The first conveyance was dated July 2, 1877, and filed for record on July 3, 1877. John McCormick was then County Clerk. One of the principal streets in Old Town was evidently "Casey Street". The first conveyance covered "one log house or shack situated in the town of Miles, Custer County, Montana Territory, together with 20 feet by 165 feet of lot 3, block 2." In many of these early conveyances, the description of the town of "Miles" - "Miles City" - "Town of Miles". Many of the conveyances listed the contents of the structures on the land conveyed. There was included hotels, dance halls and saloons with liquors and cigars, restaurants and billiard halls. Among the names included in these conveyances were those of folks later identified with the "New Miles City" or "Upper Miles City" as our town was termed in some of the early records. These names included such names as N. Borchardt, Miles City's first postmaster, Charles W. Savage, early day sheriff, Charles Brown who was interested in various enterprises as well as being a noted dispenser of justice. Charles Walker, who became Probate Judge; Margaret Anderson, who owned the building in which the Yellowstone Journal first set up shop; John Chinnick, who squatted on a tract which later was to become a great portion of the new town of Miles City and who also was a trouble maker and one of the rougher element in the early days; George Silverberg, John J. Graham, John Fraser, John Carter, Chris Hehli and many others. One of the buildings was moved from Old Town in later years and placed on Main Street in Miles City, where it still stands, although in a remodeled condition. Can you locate it?