Miles City is a city in and the county seat of Custer County, Montana, United States. The population was 8,354 at the 2020 census.
History
After the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876, the U.S. Army created forts in eastern Montana, including one where the north-flowing Tongue River flowed into the east-flowing Yellowstone River. The first fort was known as the Tongue River Cantonment or the Tongue River Barracks and was founded on August 27, 1876. A second, permanent fort was constructed on higher ground two miles to the west of the mouth of the Tongue and this became Fort Keogh.
Fort Keogh (named after Captain Myles Keogh, one of the battle dead, whose horse, Comanche, was the lone survivor of Custer's command) started as a few rough winter cabins, but grew into a moderate sized western fort, from which its commander, General Nelson A. Miles, effectively brought the remaining "uncontrolled" Native Americans into subjugation during the last decade of the 1800s.
Nelson Miles said that "whiskey caused him more trouble than the Indians" and, after tiring of drunken soldiers causing problems during the winter campaign, evicted the sutlers who provided "liquid stock" in the spring of 1877. Moving two miles due east of the Tongue River Cantonment, these early merchants founded the first Miles City. Although fondly referred to as "Milestown," the first post office and first official plat both called the town "Miles City." When the old cantonment moved two miles west, the town literally picked up and followed, moving to the current site. The last occupants of Old Miles City stayed on until 1900 but the new community was the one that grew.
Before the town itself was founded, George Miles, the nephew of General Miles, who had accompanied his uncle on the western expedition and served in the quartermasters office, bought a herd of sheep, the first of many commercial enterprises in his involvement with the core founders of the town.
Livestock speculation brought thousands of cattle to the open ranges in the late 1880s, the railroad was extended through the area, and Texans drove numerous cattle to Miles City to fatten them on free grass and move them to where they could be loaded on trains bound for the slaughterhouses in Chicago (Milwaukee Railroad).
The burgeoning settlement of Miles City was incorporated as a town in 1887. The first mayor to serve was Eugene Henry "Skew" Johnson (born July 27, 1846, in Clarksville, Arkansas, died July 31, 1919, in Miles City, Montana); he served for one term.
Miles City established a municipal electric power utility company around that time of 1887 and it was a source of civic pride (as any city would have towards its own utilities) until during the 1920s, a traveling employee of Minnesota Northern Power (predecessor of current MDU Resources Group, Inc.) told the city council "the emperor has no clothes;" i.e., the system was far less efficient and in worse shape than they thought. The city council eventually put the question to the voters who instructed the city to sell the utility. By this time, the people with the competing Montana Power Company (now NorthWestern Energy's Montana division) became aware of this and were soon locked in an epic battle with Minnesota Northern over the franchise. A franchise election was held to determine who would serve Miles City on June 28, 1927. Minnesota Northern won by a scant 16 votes.
Miles City experienced rapid growth until the First World War (1914/1917–1918), era and following 1920s and 1930s, but became overshadowed by the upstart upriver town of Billings, which was at the cross roads of various land transportation routes. Billings became a center for banking and finance, oil refining, and medical services, and is now the largest city in the state of Montana.
The publicly owned Miles City Municipal Airport is located less than from town. Notably, it was during the beginning of the modern aviation era as the site of an early tragic scheduled airline passenger plane crash, involving Northwest Airlines Flight 1, which caught fire and crashed shortly after takeoff in January 1939.
Geography
Miles City sits within the High Plains of the Great Plains, and is nestled between the Tongue and Yellowstone rivers. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. Interstate 94 passes through the community, with access from Exits 135, 138, and 141. Montana Highway 59 runs north–south. The Tongue River flows into Yellowstone River at the town. Pirogue Island State Park is just outside of town.
Climate
The city holds the record for the highest mean sea level pressure in the contiguous United States with a reading of 31.42 inHg (1064 mb) on December 24, 1983.World and US High Barometric Pressure records ()
According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Miles City has a cold semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.
Giant snowflake Guinness World Records reports that the largest natural snowflake ever measured, in diameter, was recorded at Fort Keogh on January 28, 1887. However, there is no corroborating evidence to support this claim.Broad, William J. (March 20, 2007). "Snowflakes as Big as Frisbees?" Science. The New York Times.
Demographics
2020 census As of the 2020 census, Miles City had a population of 8,354. The median age was 39.8 years. 22.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.7 males age 18 and over.
99.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.1% lived in rural areas.
There were 3,629 households in Miles City, of which 26.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 39.3% were married-couple households, 23.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 30.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 37.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 4,079 housing units, of which 11.0% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 12.3%.
+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Number Percent White 7,592 90.9% Black or African American 55 0.7% American Indian and Alaska Native 142 1.7% Asian 48 0.6% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 7 0.1% Some other race 75 0.9% Two or more races 435 5.2% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 283 3.4%
2010 census As of the census of 2010, there were 8,410 people, 3,677 households, and 2,082 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 4,000 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.3% White, 0.3% African American, 1.7% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.6% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.4% of the population.
There were 3,677 households, of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.0% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.4% were non-families. Of all households, 37.2% were made up of individuals, and 15% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.89.
The median age in the city was 40.6 years. 22.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.7% were from 25 to 44; 27.6% were from 45 to 64; and 17.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.8% male and 51.2% female.
2000 census As of the census of 2000, there were 8,487 people, 3,528 households, and 2,194 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 3,890 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.72% White, 0.12% African American, 1.39% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.44% from other races, and 1.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.59% of the population.
There were 3,528 households, out of which 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.7% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.8% were non-families. Of all households, 32.3% were made up of individuals, and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.6% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,847, and the median income for a family was $41,190. Males had a median income of $30,123 versus $18,750 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,449. About 9.4% of families and 14.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.7% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over. Government Miles City uses a council/mayor form of government. There are four wards with two representatives from each ward. In March 2024, elected mayor John Hollowell stepped down. The council appointed Dwayne Andrews to fill the seat until the 2025 general elections. Chris "Butch" Grenz won the 2025 mayor election with 51% of the votes.
Media The Miles City Star is the town's newspaper.
Television station KYUS-TV (channel 3), licensed to Miles City, launched in 1969 and was famously noted as being the smallest network affiliate in the United States. Operating as a standalone NBC affiliate from 1969 to 1984, KYUS-TV also served as a full-power satellite of various stations in Billings from 1984 to 1995 and again from 1998 to 2024. In 2025, KYUS-TV was acquired by Montana State University and joined the Montana PBS network.
Radio stations
KATL (AM 770) – Adult Contemporary KMTA (AM 1050) – Oldies KIKC (AM 1250) – Oldies KYPR (FM 90.7) – NPR station KYUS-FM (92.3 FM) – Adult Hits KIKC-FM (101.3 FM) – Country music
Events 1944 ice jam In March 1944, an ice jam on the Yellowstone River caused flooding which reached into Miles City. After unsuccessful attempts to clear the jam using local resources, help was requested from the Army Air Corps by the Montana governor. A B-17 bomber was dispatched from nearby Rapid City, South Dakota and cleared the ice jam using 250-pound bombs.1944 bombing:
(video of the flooding)
Annual bucking horse sale The largest event of the year, attracting about 20,000 visitors to Miles City each May since its establishment in 1951, is the Miles City Bucking Horse Sale. Miles City is the commercial hub of southeastern Montana. The sale is generally held regardless of weather.
Eastern Montana Fair The Eastern Montana Fair is held in the latter half of August at the Custer County fairgrounds, and its rodeo, demolition derby, fireworks and concerts typically attract about 17,000 attendees.
Education Miles Community College was founded in 1939. The current average student to faculty ratio is 11:1; class sizes range from 8 to 50 students; and over 85% of the students qualify for financial aid. Miles Community College also features free tutoring at the Center for Academic Success. The Judson H. Flower Jr. Library is located within the main building of Miles Community College, and is equipped with computer lab and INFOTRAC.