Filed Under Miles City

Miles City East Main Street Residential Historic District

The development of this elegant residential neighborhood reflects Miles City's second growth spurt in the early twentieth century. Although the population of this "cowtown" waned between 1890 and 1905, the advent of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad in 1908 and the 1909 Enlarged Homestead Act brought a resurgence of energy and an influx of new residents. The need for more housing generated a construction boom, lasting into the 1920s, which focused upon this heretofore unimproved area. Speculators, contractors, and homebuilders favored this quieter area where individualism could be expressed through architecture. Sweeping lawns and streets lined with elm, cottonwood, and green ash trees complement the cottages and foursquares in Craftsman, Prairie, Mission, and Classical Revival styles that unify this dignified neighborhood. Occasional Queen Anne, Dutch Colonial Revival, and other styles add a pleasing diversity. Plan books offered contractors and builders like Carl Anderson, O. M. Lanphear, and N. P. Nelson stylish and less expensive designs for potential homeowners. Even so, the district embraces many of the area's most architecturally significant homes, revealing the talents of such prominent architects as Charles S. Haire, Brynjulf Rivenes, and Casper Strom. It is this unique blending of styles and craftsmen that conveys the prosperity, optimism, and importance of Miles City during this period of expansion.

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Images

Miles City East Main Street Residential Historic District
Miles City East Main Street Residential Historic District Miles City East Main Street Residential Historic District. Three Foursquares, from right to left (Pope House, Foster House, and Harry J. Horton Residence), facing south to southeast. Source: Montana State Historic Preservation Office Creator: Dena Sanford and Susan McDaniel Date: Mar. 1989
Miles City East Main Street Residential Historic District
Miles City East Main Street Residential Historic District Miles City East Main Street Residential Historic District. View of the Kelly House, facing northwest on East Main Street looking up towards North Cottage Grove. Source: Montana State Historic Preservation Office Creator: Dena Sanford and Susan McDaniel Date: Mar. 1989
Miles City East Main Street Residential Historic District
Miles City East Main Street Residential Historic District Miles City East Main Street Residential Historic District. View of the Harry J. Horton Residence in the foreground and the Foster House in the background, facing southwest at the intersection of East Main Street and North Lake Avenue. Source: Montana State Historic Preservation Office Creator: Dena Sanford and Susan McDaniel Date: Mar. 1989
Miles City East Main Street Residential Historic District
Miles City East Main Street Residential Historic District Miles City East Main Street Residential Historic District. View of 2008 Main Street in the background, facing southeast near the corner of East Main Street and South Jordan Avenue. Source: Montana State Historic Preservation Office Creator: Dena Sanford and Susan McDaniel Date: Mar. 1989
Miles City East Main Street Residential Historic District
Miles City East Main Street Residential Historic District Miles City East Main Street Residential Historic District. View of the Anderson Bungalow in the background, facing northwest on East Main Street towards North Strevell Avenue. Source: Montana State Historic Preservation Office Creator: Dena Sanford and Susan McDaniel Date: Mar. 1989
Miles City East Main Street Residential Historic District
Miles City East Main Street Residential Historic District Miles City East Main Street Residential Historic District. View of the Stacy Residence in the background, facing southwest on East Main Street. Source: Montana State Historic Preservation Office Creator: Dena Sanford and Susan McDaniel Date: Mar. 1989
Miles City East Main Street Residential Historic District
Miles City East Main Street Residential Historic District Miles City East Main Street Residential Historic District. Looking west on the 2200 block of East Main Street. Source: Montana State Historic Preservation Office Creator: Dena Sanford and Susan McDaniel Date: Mar. 1989

Location

Main Street, Miles City, Montana | Private

Metadata

The Montana National Register Sign Program, “Miles City East Main Street Residential Historic District,” Historic Montana, accessed October 5, 2024, https://historicmt.org/items/show/258.