George M. Miles House
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
Images
The George M. Miles House was erected in 1899. It is a fine example of Queen Anne architecture.
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
George Miles arrived in Montana in 1876. He served as the quartermaster clerk for the Fifth Regiment at Fort Keogh, which, as noted above, was established by his uncle General Nelson A. Miles. General Miles established the fort as part of the U.S. Army's effort to fight Native Americans after the Battle of Little Big Horn (June 25-26, 1876), the famous battle where Plains tribes soundly defeated General George Custer and his men. The Army was eventually successful, forcing the tribes to the Standing Point Reservation in the Dakota Territory within a year.
As a result, Fort Keogh and others in the region were eventually no longer needed. George Miles left the Army and got into sheep ranching (to grow wool). After several years he, along with a few others, founded the First National Bank in 1882. By then, the population in the area grew and it became apparent that a bank was needed. Miles became president of the bank in 1907 and remained so until 1929. The other positions he held included serving as the first U.S. Commissioner and the first notary public in the county, a senior partner of a hardware firm, president of Miles City Trust and Realty Company, president of Ekalala Telephone Company, and superintendent of the Presbyterian Sunday School. Miles lived in the house until 1913.
Sources
White, J. Myles. "Miles, George M. House." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. February 17, 1982. https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/82003161_text.
Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MilesCityMT_GeorgeMMilesHouse.jpg