Books
Dusting Off the Old Ones was published in 1961 by W. B. Clarke, Miles City, Montana.
Miles City's First Big Fire
Miles City's first big fire happened the night after an incident in which a character by the name of Rigney was hanged to a railroad trestle near the locale of the present hospital. It is said that the fire was set in reprisal to this hanging -- whether this is true or not, we will have to offer it for what is it worth, for there is no one living at the present time whereby the story can be verified.
In the block facing Main Street from the south between Fifth and Sixth Streets, were quite a few frame buildings, with a brick one or two thrown in. The first brick building from the east was the building now occupied by the Clark's Furniture store and was then occupied by the First National Bank. From that building east to Sixth Street was an array of frame structures. The largest and most "formidable" one was the Cosmopolitan Theatre. The Cosmopolitan was where the Miles City Bank now stands. It was in no manner a "legitimate" theatre, but presented mostly the "hurdy-gurdy" type of entertainment, with a convenient dance floor and al the "trimmings" popular to such places at the time. The fire started in the Cosmopolitan and soon spread to the adjoining frame structures -- "cleaning out" every frame building as far west as the bank building. As we have stated whether Rigney incident and the fire might not have any connection, but the better class of citizens immediately formed a "vigilante" committee and took steps to "clean the town" of a lot of tough characters who were hanging around.
In the block facing Main Street from the south between Fifth and Sixth Streets, were quite a few frame buildings, with a brick one or two thrown in. The first brick building from the east was the building now occupied by the Clark's Furniture store and was then occupied by the First National Bank. From that building east to Sixth Street was an array of frame structures. The largest and most "formidable" one was the Cosmopolitan Theatre. The Cosmopolitan was where the Miles City Bank now stands. It was in no manner a "legitimate" theatre, but presented mostly the "hurdy-gurdy" type of entertainment, with a convenient dance floor and al the "trimmings" popular to such places at the time. The fire started in the Cosmopolitan and soon spread to the adjoining frame structures -- "cleaning out" every frame building as far west as the bank building. As we have stated whether Rigney incident and the fire might not have any connection, but the better class of citizens immediately formed a "vigilante" committee and took steps to "clean the town" of a lot of tough characters who were hanging around.