MILES CITY, a city of eastern Montana, U.S.A., on the south bank of the Yellowstone, at the mouth of Tongue river, 2,377 ft. above sea-level; the county seat of Custer county. It is on Federal highways 1 o and 12, and is served by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific and the Northern Pacific rail ways. Pop. (1920) was 7,937, 86% native white; (193o) 7,175 Federal census. It is the metropolis of the stock-raising and agricultural district of eastern Montana, an important range horse market and distributing point for wool, butter, wheat, corn and other produce. Ranches in the vicinity graze from 0,000 to 20,000 head of sheep and cattle. Adjoining the city is the U.S. Range Livestock experiment station (formerly Ft. Keogh) of 57,00o acres. The Milwaukee has division headquar ters and extensive repair shops here, and the manufacturing in dustries include creameries, bottling works, an oil refinery and two establishments which have a world-wide market for their harness and saddles. Lignite coal is mined for local consumption
and natural gas is available. The State Normal School conducts a summer session at Miles City. The Eastern Montana Fair, the State Corn Show and the Miles City Round-Up and Historical Show are annual events. The city's assessed valuation of property in 1928 was $1o,soo,000. Miles City was founded in 1877 and named after Gen. Nelson A. Miles, an experienced Indian fighter, who had previously built Ft. Keogh two miles west. In the early days the principal industry was the hunting of buffalo, and tradition says that as many as 250,000 hides were shipped in a single season. The first railroad reached the city in 1881.