Books

Dusting Off the Old Ones

Miles City's First Greenhouse

We have told in a previous story of the horse chestnut tree growing in front of the Gilmore Hotel and how it came to be there. Speaking of trees, "Shade Tree Bill" tells us that the first black walnut trees that he remembers being grown in town were in the yard at the northeast corner of North Sixth and Palmer Streets. This property is now owned by Sam Clark and his genial wife, Frances, but at the time the trees were planted, it was owned by the Miner family. The story of the walnut tree is that the Miner family was friendly with the Ben Holt family and on one of Mr. Holt's visits back to his old home state of Missouri, he brought back a sack of black walnuts. The Miner girls while visiting the Holts on one occasion took quite a few of these nuts home with them. Their father, being of a horticultural mind, planted these nuts. They sprouted and the trees grew there for several years. The Miners were particularly interested in floriculture and operated the first greenhouse in town. It was situated on the same corner that we have mentioned and consisted of quite a large glass house connected to the dwelling. Flowers for all occasions were raised there commercially. Besides operating the greenhouse, Mrs. Miner and her daughter, Josie, had a millinery store on Main Street just about where Shore's store is at the present time. The Miner family consisted of two girls and a boy. The boy, Grant, was a cripple and was often seen on the street in his wheelchair or in a light buggy to which was hitched a little brown horse. The other daughter, Gertie, was one or the belles of the younger set, and being quite talented, took her place in all hometalent entertainments. We cannot tell what became of the family.