Recollections of Old Milestown (Main Street)
From birchyHistory
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Many interesting memories cluster around this resort under the Pepper regime, as it was where the "remittance boys" used to congregate when "down town," their other "hang-out" being the Macqueen House. These were the younger sons of English well-to-do and often titled families, for whom there was no place at home and who were started in the range-stock business over here on a gamble that they might make a success of it and if they did not, anyhow, it was the regular and accepted thing to do, to banish " the cubs " during the period of their adolescence. "Syd" Paget will stand out clear in the recollection of all residents of that day as a type of the genus. A thorough sportsman in every thing that pertained to the open, he was always "game" for a horse-race and as he had a few ponies that he thought pretty well of, it was always easy to make a match with him, but at the very best any of his ponies could do was known, whenever a horse that could do better came along "Syd" was given a tip that brought him to town with his ponies and he was "trimmed" as regularly as he went up against the game, but he enjoyed the sport and was willing to pay for it. Whatever his allowance was, he was always ahead of it, but his credit was excellent, for whenever his debts became a matter of anxiety to his creditors, the money would be forthcoming from England to pay him out. There was a blonde pony he called "Flossie" that cost him a heap of money. Along in the early '90's when we had the race-track down toward the poor farm, the "Englishers" introduced us to steeple-chases and with movable hurdles on the track and a "narquee" in the paddock, with English ladies "serving tea" in broad daylight and riders prancing around in red coats and caps, and those wonderful riding breeches that many of us saw then for the first time, we were scoring a high mark for a small town. At all events it was a phase of our existence that we can look backward to with much pleasure. They were a very decent lot, those "remittance boys" and nobody is the poorer for having known them. | Many interesting memories cluster around this resort under the Pepper regime, as it was where the "remittance boys" used to congregate when "down town," their other "hang-out" being the Macqueen House. These were the younger sons of English well-to-do and often titled families, for whom there was no place at home and who were started in the range-stock business over here on a gamble that they might make a success of it and if they did not, anyhow, it was the regular and accepted thing to do, to banish " the cubs " during the period of their adolescence. "Syd" Paget will stand out clear in the recollection of all residents of that day as a type of the genus. A thorough sportsman in every thing that pertained to the open, he was always "game" for a horse-race and as he had a few ponies that he thought pretty well of, it was always easy to make a match with him, but at the very best any of his ponies could do was known, whenever a horse that could do better came along "Syd" was given a tip that brought him to town with his ponies and he was "trimmed" as regularly as he went up against the game, but he enjoyed the sport and was willing to pay for it. Whatever his allowance was, he was always ahead of it, but his credit was excellent, for whenever his debts became a matter of anxiety to his creditors, the money would be forthcoming from England to pay him out. There was a blonde pony he called "Flossie" that cost him a heap of money. Along in the early '90's when we had the race-track down toward the poor farm, the "Englishers" introduced us to steeple-chases and with movable hurdles on the track and a "narquee" in the paddock, with English ladies "serving tea" in broad daylight and riders prancing around in red coats and caps, and those wonderful riding breeches that many of us saw then for the first time, we were scoring a high mark for a small town. At all events it was a phase of our existence that we can look backward to with much pleasure. They were a very decent lot, those "remittance boys" and nobody is the poorer for having known them. | ||
| − | The next block, going east on Main street, is not all new construction. The Foster building dates from the days of '83 or '84, with the exception of the small extension on Seventh street. It was put up by a man named Maxwell, who had the mail contract from Deadwood and who had some interesting scraps with Indians while carrying the mail. Levine's store, next eastward, is another old-timer. It was originally built in '81 by Herman Clarke & Co., who were supply contractors on the extension of the Northern Pacific, as a bid for the local trade and a very popular young fellow named Bertrand was in charge but the oldtimers were clannish and wouldn't patronize the new place and so it moved on, but left the building, which was soon after occupied by another new venture -- A. T. Campbell & Co. -- and when this firm sought larger quarters, Ed Arnold's tailoring establishment went in, which only a few years ago vacated in favor of Levine. Next to this, easterly, was the properly famous "steamboat building," constructed, in major part, of the "remainders" of the steamboat "Yellowstone" that was wrecked on Buffalo Rapids in '79 or '80. The machinery and other valuable stuff was taken out of her, but the hulk and cabin were left. Then in '91 one "Jimmy" Dance, a resident of "Old Town," hauled the big oak timbers of the hull up to town and proceeded to work them into a building, using the four-inch oak planks for the walls and later he brought up the cabin and rebuilt it as a second story, following the steamboat style of the long cabin and the staterooms on each side, and for a time the ghost of the steamer Yellowstone resumed business as a sort of a lodging house. Later, the cabin part was removed, or demolished by some calamity either wind or fire -- and the first floor or store part, was occupied by C. J. Smith as a feed and produce store and he was followed by Tom Gibb in the same lines, to which he added a coal agency and who remained in the occupancy until the march of improvement caused him to vacate. When Geo. Miles used the site of this historic building for the extension of the Shore-Newcom store, he removed those venerable oak plank to a lot on Main street east of the Presbyterian church and used them in the construction of another building. The steamer Yellowstone must have been thirty or forty years old when she was wrecked, and that was close onto forty years ago, so those precious oak planks were water-soaked for forty years and have now been drying out for a like period and ought to be pretty good timber. | + | The next block, going east on Main street, is not all new construction. The Foster building dates from the days of '83 or '84, with the exception of the small extension on Seventh street. It was put up by a man named Maxwell, who had the mail contract from Deadwood and who had some interesting scraps with Indians while carrying the mail. Levine's store, next eastward, is another old-timer. It was originally built in '81 by Herman Clarke & Co., who were supply contractors on the extension of the Northern Pacific, as a bid for the local trade and a very popular young fellow named Bertrand was in charge but the oldtimers were clannish and wouldn't patronize the new place and so it moved on, but left the building, which was soon after occupied by another new venture -- A. T. Campbell & Co. -- and when this firm sought larger quarters, Ed Arnold's tailoring establishment went in, which only a few years ago vacated in favor of Levine. Next to this, easterly, was the properly famous "steamboat building," constructed, in major part, of the "remainders" of the steamboat "Yellowstone" that was wrecked on Buffalo Rapids in '79 or '80. The machinery and other valuable stuff was taken out of her, but the hulk and cabin were left. Then in '91 one "Jimmy" Dance, a resident of "Old Town," hauled the big oak timbers of the hull up to town and proceeded to work them into a building, using the four-inch oak planks for the walls and later he brought up the cabin and rebuilt it as a second story, following the steamboat style of the long cabin and the staterooms on each side, and for a time the ghost of the steamer Yellowstone resumed business as a sort of a lodging house. Later, the cabin part was removed, or demolished by some calamity either wind or fire -- and the first floor or store part, was occupied by [[C. J. Smith]] as a feed and produce store and he was followed by [[Tom Gibb]] in the same lines, to which he added a [[coal]] agency and who remained in the occupancy until the march of improvement caused him to vacate. When Geo. Miles used the site of this historic building for the extension of the [[Shore-Newcom store]], he removed those venerable oak plank to a lot on Main street east of the Presbyterian church and used them in the construction of another building. The steamer Yellowstone must have been thirty or forty years old when she was wrecked, and that was close onto forty years ago, so those precious oak planks were water-soaked for forty years and have now been drying out for a like period and ought to be pretty good timber. |
The frontage now occupied by the Shore-Newcom store was originally the location of a row of one-story frames with various occupants, the most readily remembered of which are Miss Miner, Cully the plumber, and Wm. Courtenay. The next two brick frontages, now known as the Arnold Block, were built separately, the corner building by L. A. Huffman, in the middle '80's, and the inside one by a Lieutenant Gilman a few years later. Lieutenant Gilman was stationed at Fort Keogh and had quite an idea of the future of Miles City. He was one of the incorporators of the first electric light service we had here, and the first central station was in the basement of this building, and the outfit consisted of a 400-light dynamo and a 40 h.p. Westenhouse engine. The elevation of these buildings above the "grade" is an indication of the fear, in those days, of a flood. The extreme measure of caution taken is not so apparent now as it was before Main street was paved, as the paving grade was adjusted to the conditions. On the south side of Main, from Seventh to Eighth, nothing remains of the old days. The Wibaux building, and the two adjoining one-story bricks, cover the area that was originally Ringer & Johnson's livery barn and corral. This was a historic establishment and for a while it was the end of the town on that side of the street. Later Steve Manchester put up a frame dwelling and next adjoining was the little log shack where old John. Anderson lived with his daughter, "Janie." The frames that now are there are recent innovations in that locality, having been "moved in." One of them is ancient enough though, being that old Kelly saloon, long occupied by Sam Pepper and later by Charley Kelly, when located on the Kelly corner. The bricks, from here on to the corner, are new and were preceded by a small frame, elevated two or three steps from the walk -- because of fear of high water -- in which Milligan & Miller run a saloon, and on the corner the "Kentucky Saloon," a building with extra large floor space which became very popular as a rendezvous for laboring men and workmen generally; a sort of an informal and social trades-union. | The frontage now occupied by the Shore-Newcom store was originally the location of a row of one-story frames with various occupants, the most readily remembered of which are Miss Miner, Cully the plumber, and Wm. Courtenay. The next two brick frontages, now known as the Arnold Block, were built separately, the corner building by L. A. Huffman, in the middle '80's, and the inside one by a Lieutenant Gilman a few years later. Lieutenant Gilman was stationed at Fort Keogh and had quite an idea of the future of Miles City. He was one of the incorporators of the first electric light service we had here, and the first central station was in the basement of this building, and the outfit consisted of a 400-light dynamo and a 40 h.p. Westenhouse engine. The elevation of these buildings above the "grade" is an indication of the fear, in those days, of a flood. The extreme measure of caution taken is not so apparent now as it was before Main street was paved, as the paving grade was adjusted to the conditions. On the south side of Main, from Seventh to Eighth, nothing remains of the old days. The Wibaux building, and the two adjoining one-story bricks, cover the area that was originally Ringer & Johnson's livery barn and corral. This was a historic establishment and for a while it was the end of the town on that side of the street. Later Steve Manchester put up a frame dwelling and next adjoining was the little log shack where old John. Anderson lived with his daughter, "Janie." The frames that now are there are recent innovations in that locality, having been "moved in." One of them is ancient enough though, being that old Kelly saloon, long occupied by Sam Pepper and later by Charley Kelly, when located on the Kelly corner. The bricks, from here on to the corner, are new and were preceded by a small frame, elevated two or three steps from the walk -- because of fear of high water -- in which Milligan & Miller run a saloon, and on the corner the "Kentucky Saloon," a building with extra large floor space which became very popular as a rendezvous for laboring men and workmen generally; a sort of an informal and social trades-union. | ||
