Miles City in Custer County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)
Miles City Main Street Historic District
Main Street Historic District
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, September 11, 2020
1. Miles City Main Street Historic District Marker
Inscription.
Miles City Main Street Historic District. Main Street Historic District. The Main Street historic district reveals Miles City’s major growth periods of 1882-1887, 1905-1920, and 1935- 1940. The first of these began with the arrival of the Northern Pacific in 1881, when imposing brick business blocks began to replace the wooden, false-front buildings of the town’s beginnings. Architect Byron Vreeland designed many of these buildings, favoring the late-Victorian period vertical lines. This boom ended with the “Hard Winter of 1886-1887" that decimated range cattle herds, ruining stockmen and the businesses that served them. The second growth period was spurred by the arrival of the Chicago, St. Paul and Milwaukee Railroad in 1907 and by the homestead boom of the region, for which Miles City served as social and business center. Local architects Brynjulf and David Rivenes, and Charles S. Haire and John G. Link of Helena, now shaped downtown Miles City’s appearance, with light-colored, formal, and symmetrical designs. This growth period ended with the 1920's agricultural depression. As the subsequent Great Depression began to lift, Main Street again began to see new construction, with Art Deco and Moderne enriching the mixture of architectural styles.
The Main Street historic district reveals Miles City’s major growth periods of 1882-1887, 1905-1920, and 1935- 1940. The first of these began with the arrival of the Northern Pacific in 1881, when imposing brick business blocks began to replace the wooden, false-front buildings of the town’s beginnings. Architect Byron Vreeland designed many of these buildings, favoring the late-Victorian period vertical lines. This boom ended with the “Hard Winter of 1886-1887" that decimated range cattle herds, ruining stockmen and the businesses that served them. The second growth period was spurred by the arrival of the Chicago, St. Paul and Milwaukee Railroad in 1907 and by the homestead boom of the region, for which Miles City served as social and business center. Local architects Brynjulf and David Rivenes, and Charles S. Haire and John G. Link of Helena, now shaped downtown Miles City’s appearance, with light-colored, formal, and symmetrical designs. This growth period ended with the 1920's agricultural depression. As the subsequent Great Depression began to lift, Main Street again began to see new construction, with Art Deco and Moderne enriching the mixture of architectural styles.
Erected by Montana Historical Society.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture
Location. 46° 24.368′ N, 105° 50.989′ W. Marker is in Miles City, Montana, in Custer County. Marker is on Main Street (Business Interstate 94) near South 6th Street, on the right when traveling east. The marker is in Memorial Park near the gazebo. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 604 Main Street, Miles City MT 59301, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, September 11, 2020
2. Miles City Main Street Historic District Marker
The marker is behind (to the right of) the flagpole.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, September 11, 2020
3. Miles City Veterans Memorial
This Memorial Is dedicated to those men and women veterans from this area who served our country in times of peace and war, and especially to those who gave there lives in that service from 1877 to present.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 23, 2021. It was originally submitted on January 2, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 168 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on January 2, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.