Carriage House Historic District

9 Locations | Curated by Historic Montana

This gracious, historic residential neighborhood illustrates Miles City's prosperity as it evolved from a frontier town into the livestock, transportation, commercial, and governmental hub of eastern Montana. Businessmen and community leaders built most of these homes between 1880 and 1890 and again from 1900 to 1915—prosperous years sparked by the arrival of the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1881 and the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul, and Pacific Railroad in 1908. The neighborhood took shape before automobiles became common. Carriage houses reflect construction during a pre-car era and distinguish it from other neighborhoods. Residents often sought design assistance from architects, including Charles S. Haire, David and Brynjulf Rivenes, and Byron Vreeland. Owners wanted stylish homes that conveyed a sense of culture, beauty, and community stability. Queen Anne towers, stained glass, spindlework, and shingles are common in many early structures. Later, more restrained symmetrical Colonial Revival and Renaissance elements, as well as Craftsman style features, were used. At the height of Montana's homestead boom in the teens, Miles City was bulging with people. Allied in style and origin, the homes of the Carriage House Historic District reflect the community pride and optimism present during one of Miles City's most confident periods of growth.

Nannie Alderson came to Montana from Kansas with her husband Walt in 1883. They operated a cattle ranch for a decade but moved to Miles City in 1893 so their children could attend school. In 1895, Walt died from head injuries after he was kicked by a horse. Left with four children between the ages…
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Joseph E. Farnum arrived in Eastern Montana in 1883, settling in the Tongue River area. He married Minnie Parmenter in 1885 and relocated to a ranch on the Powder River. Typical of many ranchers at the time, Farnum maintained a residence in Miles City. He built a modest one-and-one-half-story Greek…
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Born in Wisconsin, Al Furstnow settled permanently in Miles City in 1894 and became the major saddler in the northwest. In 1895, Furstnow commissioned Byron Vreeland to build this Queen Anne style home, unusual because the architect usually designed in brick. The previous year Furstnow opened Al…
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The end of the 1880s witnessed development of Miles City’s north side, with expensive homes being built on generous tracts of land. As land became scarce, parcels were carved from spacious lawns and working families became the neighbors of prominent residents. This charming Queen Anne style…
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Nestled amidst grand Queen Anne style houses is this early folk residence. The wooden home, constructed for Scottish immigrant John McAusland, appears on an 1883 bird’s-eye map of Miles City. A steeply pitched side-gable roof and a small dormer dominate the home’s façade. Originally, the dormer…
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The elegance of this magnificent Neoclassical style mansion belies the humble roots of its first owner, George H. Ulmer, the Pennsylvania-born son of a German immigrant. Ulmer came to Miles City in 1883, and by 1889 partners George Miles and Charles Strevell had added Ulmer’s name to their pioneer…
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