World Agriculture Directory: the home of the world's largest agriculture database. Fastest way to find events, farms and agribusiness that suit your needs. Agriculture Event Directory

Cattlemen Hall of FameBeef cattle barons, cowboys, breeders and builders from around the world

Famous Cattle Towns

Miles City, Montana: The Northern Plains Cattle Town Beside Fort Keogh

Miles City began as a trading town beside an army fort and became the cattle capital of eastern Montana.

How did Miles City begin?

Miles City was first established in 1877 near the meeting of the Tongue and Yellowstone rivers, as Distinctly Montana's history of the town tells it. Fort Keogh was set up there after the Battle of the Little Bighorn and was named for Captain Myles Keogh. Civilian merchants known as sutlers were evicted from the fort over alcohol sales and first settled about two miles east of it. When the fort later moved two miles west, the townspeople followed to the present site.

The town took its name from the fort's commander. The Southeast Montana tourism page says the city grew up around Fort Keogh under Col. Nelson A. Miles, and notes the irony that he was a teetotaler. A second tourism listing, the Southeast Montana community page, also covers the Stockgrowers date below. Distinctly Montana adds that the first official plat and post office used the name Miles City, despite efforts to call the town Milestown.

How did Miles City become a cattle market?

The cattle trade followed the army. The arrival of the railroad turned Miles City into a major cattle market, a role the tourism page says it still holds. Ranchers on the surrounding grass sold and shipped through the town, and the business needed organization.

That is why the Montana Stockgrowers Association was formed in Miles City in 1884. The date shows how important the industry had become within a few years of the town's founding, when cattle ranching was already the area's main business.

The 1886 blizzard and what ranchers learned

Cattle ranching was common on the open range until the harsh January 1886 blizzard, which killed tens of thousands of cows from Montana to Texas, according to Distinctly Montana. The storm taught ranchers a lesson with a price: Montana cattle needed winter feed.

Some operators switched to horses, which dig through snow to find food. That shift helped shape the town's later reputation as a horse center.

Fort Keogh and the horse market

Fort Keogh became a remount station during World War I, and the article reports that Miles City quickly became the largest horse market in the world. The town has been called the Horse Capital of the World.

The mix of cattle and horse trading left Miles City with a livestock culture that has carried into the present, from saddlery businesses to the sale ring.

What Made It Work

Miles City turned its position at an army post and river crossing into a lasting livestock town.

Its record also shows how exposed a cattle region could be to weather, a limit that every northern range faced.

  • It grew beside Fort Keogh, which gave it a customer base and a reason to exist in 1877.
  • It gained a railroad, which made it a market and shipping point for the surrounding range.
  • It organized its industry early: the Montana Stockgrowers Association formed there in 1884.
  • It adapted after the 1886 blizzard, when some ranchers turned to horses and the town became a horse market.
  • It turned the army remount business of World War I into a global reputation for horse sales.
  • It built events and museums around its past, including the Range Riders Museum and an annual sale.

The Bucking Horse Sale

The World Famous Bucking Horse Sale grew from a small deal. Unofficially, the first sale took place in 1950, when Les Boe bought steers from Heavy Lester and received about 35 bucking horses as part of the transaction. The sale officially debuted in 1951. The Jaycees became involved around 1956 to sell concessions, and Cy Taillon announced the sale for twenty-five years.

Distinctly Montana reports that sales of wild horses were prohibited in 1971, and that the event has now run for over 70 years.

Visiting Miles City

The seasonally operated Range Riders Museum interprets the history of the town and the surrounding area, and the WaterWorks Art Museum holds photography by Evelyn Cameron and L.A. Huffman. Both are mentioned by the tourism sources.

For more on cattle country in the northern plains, see the ranching pages at farm.FM or a farm.FM story about Montana ranching.

Timeline

  1. 1877Miles City established beside Fort Keogh
  2. 1884Montana Stockgrowers Association formed in Miles City
  3. 1886January blizzard kills tens of thousands of cattle
  4. 1917Fort Keogh serves as a World War I remount station; horse market grows
  5. 1950Unofficial first bucking horse sale
  6. 1951Bucking Horse Sale officially debuts
  7. 1971Sales of wild horses prohibited

Frequently asked questions

Why is it called Miles City?

The town is named for Col. Nelson A. Miles, the commander at Fort Keogh. The first official plat and post office used the name Miles City, even though some residents tried to call it Milestown.

What is the Miles City Bucking Horse Sale?

It is an annual livestock event that officially began in 1951, after an informal 1950 deal in which Les Boe received about 35 bucking horses along with steers. It has run for more than 70 years.

Why was Miles City important to cattlemen?

The railroad made it a major cattle market, and the Montana Stockgrowers Association formed there in 1884. Its horse market also became the world's largest during World War I.

Sources and further reading

Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.

More from the hall