East Main Street Historic District

15 Locations | Curated by Historic Montana

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.