At the time of our arrival in Miles City, the temperature read 100 degrees. But the stately cottonwood trees under which the campground sits provide welcome shade. With the dry breeze rustling through the leaves, the temperature could have passed for twenty degrees cooler. The day’s drive had been about 260 miles and four plus hours. Knowing the heat that awaited us here, I left the Spearfish campground right at the checkout time. We set up camp quickly and did a little exploring before our meal at the trailer.

Miles City came into being, albeit indirectly, as a consequence of the battle that became known as Custer’s Last Stand. The annihilation of Custer and his men at the Little Big Horn River in eastern Montana convinced the Army that a permanent fort needed to be established to bring the Indian population under control. This was known as Fort Keough, and it was located near the spot where Miles City is today at the confluence of the Tongue and Yellowstone rivers. From Fort Keough, the U.S. Army under the command of General Nelson Miles brought the Indians under subjugation during the 1890s. For many years after that, through the 1920s, Fort Keough was the site to which the Army shipped horses to be broken for saddle riding. Miles City also began to be a center of activity as a railroad center and a gathering place for livestock before they were shipped east to the stockyards in Chicago. During the days of the open range, cattle were driven from as far away as Texas to be fattened on the grasses of the eastern Montana plains.

The city’s heyday was between 1900 and 1930 during which it grew rapidly. But it was gradually overtaken by Billings to the west and lost its position of prominence. Miles City’s population has remained fairly steady over the last hundred years, numbering 8,487 at the 2020 census. Miles City is still dominated by the ranching industry, and the largest event each year is the Annual Bucking Horse Sale which is held in May. Miles City Saddle Company has been one of the largest producers of quality saddles and tack equipment since the days of the Range Riders, and still operates out of its original shop on Main Street.

Just west of the downtown area and across the Tongue River is the Range Rider Museum. From the outside it is a bunch of nondescript buildings that have been cobbled together over the years, and given that there were no more than five or six cars in the large parking lot, my expectations were not high. I parked, went in and paid the $10 admission fee to one of the two old gentlemen sitting just inside the door. He gave me a map that had a suggested routing penciled in, and off I went. It took me over an hour to make my way through a remarkable number of exhibit areas. In addition to a large section set aside as a memorial to the Range Riders, there were sections on Native American culture, pioneer lifestyle, early ranching, tools, tack, guns, early farm equipment, and more. The number of artifacts that has been collected and displayed is truly amazing. Many of the displayed items do not have anything to provide context or definition, making it hard to know how they fit in with the history, which is a bit frustrating. Nevertheless, I would definitely recommend a visit to the Range Rider Museum to anyone who visits the area.

I had never heard of Miles City before planning this trip. After seeing the town and learning more about its history, I am glad I made the decision to stop here for a few days. More than any other place on this trip – even Deadwood, SD – the feel of the old cowboy days and the culture of the open range are palpable here.

Tomorrow we are off to Medora, ND and the gateway to Theodore Roosevelt National Park.