Recollections of Old Milestown (Main Street)
From birchyHistory
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Crossing Eighth on the north side of Main, the block to Ninth is now adorned with modern buildings -- with one exception -- but it will doubtless surprise a good many fairly old-time residents to he told that the corner now occupied by the Schiesser saloon and the adjoining frontage where the Miles Theater is located, was once occupied by a two-story-and-basement brick, fifty feet front and a hundred and fifty deep, reaching back to the alley, but such is the fact. The building was put up by J. H. Conrad, one of three brothers who were operating largely in Montana in the early days, and was intended for the business of J. H. Conrad & Co., who in '85 had opened a wholesale and retail outfitting establishment in what was then the Stebbins block, now the Commercial Bank block, renting the two stores next the alley, but there was not room enough and the next year the big store at the corner of Eighth was built and the business moved into it, where for a while it flourished, but the hard winter of '86-7 put such a crimp into all business ventures here that J. H. Conrad & Co. closed out and the building remained vacant, but used occasionally for church fairs, dances and other semi-public functions. But it was wiped off the face of the earth completely a few years later in the big fire that started in the Rink which stood on the corner of Pleasant and Eighth and covered the area on Eighth now occupied. by the Y. M. C. A., the Auditorium, Cole's building and Schlichting's Studio, with a spacious balloon frame, making a blaze so intense that not even brick walls could hold out against it, and nothing but the basement was left to mark the site of the most pretentious edifice the city could then boast of. | Crossing Eighth on the north side of Main, the block to Ninth is now adorned with modern buildings -- with one exception -- but it will doubtless surprise a good many fairly old-time residents to he told that the corner now occupied by the Schiesser saloon and the adjoining frontage where the Miles Theater is located, was once occupied by a two-story-and-basement brick, fifty feet front and a hundred and fifty deep, reaching back to the alley, but such is the fact. The building was put up by J. H. Conrad, one of three brothers who were operating largely in Montana in the early days, and was intended for the business of J. H. Conrad & Co., who in '85 had opened a wholesale and retail outfitting establishment in what was then the Stebbins block, now the Commercial Bank block, renting the two stores next the alley, but there was not room enough and the next year the big store at the corner of Eighth was built and the business moved into it, where for a while it flourished, but the hard winter of '86-7 put such a crimp into all business ventures here that J. H. Conrad & Co. closed out and the building remained vacant, but used occasionally for church fairs, dances and other semi-public functions. But it was wiped off the face of the earth completely a few years later in the big fire that started in the Rink which stood on the corner of Pleasant and Eighth and covered the area on Eighth now occupied. by the Y. M. C. A., the Auditorium, Cole's building and Schlichting's Studio, with a spacious balloon frame, making a blaze so intense that not even brick walls could hold out against it, and nothing but the basement was left to mark the site of the most pretentious edifice the city could then boast of. | ||
| − | Next to the Conrad building easterly, was a two-story frame belonging to John J. Graham, in the upper story of which Episcopal church services were first held, a two-story frame put up by Col. Gould, then Receiver of the U. S. land office here, a one-story dwelling, the Yellowstone Journal office -- a two-story frame -- and then the Leighton residence, with seventy-five feet frontage, extending to the corner of Ninth. The rink fire destroyed all but the Leighton residence, that being saved by the open space existing between it and the newspaper office. The Leighton residence was one of the first as well as the most ornate of residences of early Milestown. It was built by Capt. John Smith, who was the proprietor of the Cottage saloon, for himself, but later became the property of Jos. Leighton of the firm of Leighton & Jordan, and was his home during the first years of his married life, and its four walls echoed the first baby utterances of "Joe" and Alvin. The exception noted as not being modern in this block is the building occupied by Abbotts, and here is the story. | + | Next to the Conrad building easterly, was a two-story frame belonging to John J. Graham, in the upper story of which [[Episcopal church]] services were first held, a two-story frame put up by Col. Gould, then Receiver of the U. S. land office here, a one-story dwelling, the Yellowstone Journal office -- a two-story frame -- and then the Leighton residence, with seventy-five feet frontage, extending to the corner of Ninth. The rink fire destroyed all but the Leighton residence, that being saved by the open space existing between it and the newspaper office. The Leighton residence was one of the first as well as the most ornate of residences of early Milestown. It was built by Capt. John Smith, who was the proprietor of the Cottage saloon, for himself, but later became the property of Jos. Leighton of the firm of Leighton & Jordan, and was his home during the first years of his married life, and its four walls echoed the first baby utterances of "Joe" and Alvin. The exception noted as not being modern in this block is the building occupied by Abbotts, and here is the story. |
With the exception of a few piles of mouldering brick lying out-doors in the neighborhood of the poor house, this building occupied by Abbotts, is the sole reminder of the days when Milestown lived in the expectation of rivalling Chicago as a slaughtering and packing center. The De Mores experiment in that line, at Medora, N. D., had not exploded at that time, and an Iowa outfit with a fair amount of capital -- but not enough -- was so convinced that range beef, slaughtered and dressed close to the range, while in prime condition, and shipped as dead weight to the eastern markets, would be a winner. It was as plain as daylight that the shrinkage on live weight in transit and the freight on offal, would be saved, and a better quality of meat put out. So they built a plant, down the river a few miles, brought a skilled crew from the cast and opened up. The outfit made one run of about six hundred head of Oregon steers and closed down, never to open again. But the fortunes of the slaughter house are pertinent to this story only so far as they connect with the Abbott building. When the slaughtering business became a fact, a merchant here, "lkey" Silverman by name, thought he saw a business chance in a store to supply the employes close to home, and Colonel Bryan put up a building for him at the plant. When the plant shut down "lkey" moved his stock back to town and later Colonel Bryan moved the building up and planted it on the Main street site, and although it has been camouflaged and added to, it cannot deny its origin and early history. | With the exception of a few piles of mouldering brick lying out-doors in the neighborhood of the poor house, this building occupied by Abbotts, is the sole reminder of the days when Milestown lived in the expectation of rivalling Chicago as a slaughtering and packing center. The De Mores experiment in that line, at Medora, N. D., had not exploded at that time, and an Iowa outfit with a fair amount of capital -- but not enough -- was so convinced that range beef, slaughtered and dressed close to the range, while in prime condition, and shipped as dead weight to the eastern markets, would be a winner. It was as plain as daylight that the shrinkage on live weight in transit and the freight on offal, would be saved, and a better quality of meat put out. So they built a plant, down the river a few miles, brought a skilled crew from the cast and opened up. The outfit made one run of about six hundred head of Oregon steers and closed down, never to open again. But the fortunes of the slaughter house are pertinent to this story only so far as they connect with the Abbott building. When the slaughtering business became a fact, a merchant here, "lkey" Silverman by name, thought he saw a business chance in a store to supply the employes close to home, and Colonel Bryan put up a building for him at the plant. When the plant shut down "lkey" moved his stock back to town and later Colonel Bryan moved the building up and planted it on the Main street site, and although it has been camouflaged and added to, it cannot deny its origin and early history. | ||
