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Custer County, Montana

47 topographic sheets cover 24 settlements here, and 18 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Research this county

From the record

18 National Register listings published here.

Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service

Montana within the United States
Custer County within Montana

What the record shows

  • 200 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
  • 18 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 13 buildings, 3 districts, 1 site and 1 structure.
  • 3 of the 18 listings were added during the 1970s.
  • The Geographic Names Information System records 24 populated places in this county; 24 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.

Places on the National Register

18

Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.

Photograph PropertyType ListedReference
Carriage House Historic Districtdistrict199191000720
East Main Street Residential Historic Districtdistrict199089002171
Fort Keoghsite197878001680
William Harmon Housebuilding198686002747
Holy Rosary Hospitalbuilding200908001324
Ismay Jailbuilding199797000501
Locate Creek Bridgestructure201212000170
Main Street Historic Districtdistrict198989000808
Miles City Steam Laundrybuilding197979001400
Miles City Waterworks Building and Pumping Plant Parkbuilding197979003723
George M. Miles Housebuilding198282003161
Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Companybuilding198888001118
Northern Pacific Railway Depotbuilding201010000132
Olive Hotelbuilding198888001117
Thomas and Beulah Shore Housebuilding200303001299
Walrond and Elizabeth Snell Housebuilding200303000923
US Post Office-Miles City Mainbuilding198686000686
Ursuline Convent of the Sacred Heartbuilding199292000115

Wildfire, 1992 to 2020

445 fires

Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 445 of them, burning about 203,807 acres. 298 started naturally and none was recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.

Reported cause Fires
Natural298
Equipment and vehicle use59
Missing data/not specified/undetermined51
Recreation and ceremony12
Power generation/transmission/distribution8
Debris and open burning5
Railroad operations and maintenance4
Fireworks4
Smoking2
Misuse of fire by a minor1
Firearms and explosives use1

The five largest, by the area the report gives. None of them was recorded as arson.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
17 August 1996Natural62,000 acresEastern Land OfficePOWDERVILLE
31 August 1998Natural20,921 acresMiles City Field OfficeBRADSHAW
10 August 2007Natural15,546 acresMiles City Field OfficeOKERMAN
7 July 2017Equipment and vehicle use7,730 acresMiles City Field OfficeCROW ROCK
30 August 2017Equipment and vehicle use7,590 acresEastern Land OfficeSNAKE
10 August 2007Natural6,692 acresMiles City Field OfficeWOLF CREEK
13 August 2003Natural5,774 acresEastern Land OfficeSWAIN
2 September 2020Natural4,698 acresCuster CountyZOOK

Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.

Storms, 1957 to 2025

60 of 544 shown

The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 544 reports for this county, causing 2 deaths, 6 injuries and about $2,894,000 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.

Kind of event Reports
Thunderstorm Wind254
Hail239
Flash Flood20
Flood10
Tornado8
Heavy Rain7
Funnel Cloud5
Lightning1

The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
July 2016Thunderstorm WindKinsey1 killed, 1 hurtA semi truck was blown off Interstate 94 at Mile Marker 156. The driver of the semi was injured.
June 1999LightningMizpah1 killedA 14 year-old boy was struck and killed by lightning while standing on a front tire of a tractor in a field.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindMiles City3 hurtSeveral injuries occurred due to trees falling on them and vehicles. At least one person was hospitalized.
July 2000Thunderstorm WindMiles City2 hurt, $5,0002 inch diameter hail. Crop and window damage. Foot of water over Frontage Road along Interstate 94. Interstate 94 closed for one hour due to water over the road. Car accident near mile marker 160 with two injuries.
May 2011FloodKnowlton$1,100,000Significant flooding occurred on creeks and streams across Custer County with numerous county roads flooded, closing roads and resulting in significant damage. At the height of the flooding, emergency only travel was advised due to the magnitude of the event. The Powder River near Locate rose above flood stage from May 10th through May 23rd. The river crested four times at 11.29 feet, 11.70 feet, 11.27 feet and 9.28 feet on the 10th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd respectively. In addition, Pumpkin Creek was reported to be flowing over Highway 59 southeast of Miles City. Pumpkin Creek had a record crest of 13.98 feet on May 20th and 21st. The Yellowstone River at Miles City went above flood stage from May 22nd through May 29th. The river crested at 14.74 feet on the 24th and 14.53 feet on the 29th. The Tongue River at Miles City rose above flood stage from May 11th through May 23rd and crested at a record 13.99 feet on May 21st. Damage estimates based on FEMA reviews and Individual Assistance approvals.
July 1998Flash FloodMiles City$1,000,000Several streets were closed in Miles City because of flash flooding. Basements of several homes and businesses were flooded.
May 1989Tornado (F0)not stated$250,000no account filed
August 1995Thunderstorm WindMiles City$180,000The roof of a house was torn off by thunderstorm winds. Another house had part of it's roof torn off. A shed was also blown over and a garage was damaged. Several trees were blown down. Estimated damage was $180 thousand. Winds up to 50 mph were recorded at the airport around this time. The time is estimated.
May 2010FloodKinsey$130,000Heavy rains on the 24th and 25th caused widespread low land flooding across rural Custer County, mainly south of Miles City. Heavy rainfall also caused numerous roads and culverts to wash out in Custer County. A five day total of 4.08 inches at Volborg was reported on the 25th . On the morning of May 25th, a cooperative observer reported that Pumpkin Creek was out of its banks 5 miles north of Volborg with low land flooding. In addition, runoff from recent heavy rains also caused water levels to rise on the Tongue River below the Twelve Mile Dam.
July 2010Thunderstorm WindMiles City$60,000Please see Episode Narrative.
July 2010Thunderstorm WindMiles City$60,000Please see Episode Narrative.
July 1999Thunderstorm WindMiles City$50,000Thunderstorm wind gusts of at least 48 mph caused several trees and a billboard to be blown down, a camping trailer to be blown over and some broken windows in and around Miles City.
July 1965Tornado (F2)not stated$25,000no account filed
July 2000Thunderstorm WindMiles City$10,00011 telephone poles snapped from 1-mile wide microburst on Kinsey Road
June 1995Thunderstorm WindMiles City$9,000Thunderstorm winds damaged a porch and a garage at a residence 10 miles northeast of Miles City. Also, a mobile home was tipped over...crushing and killing a horse.
August 1993Thunderstorm WindMiles City$5,000no account filed
June 1991Tornado (F0)not stated$2,500no account filed
July 2000Thunderstorm WindMiles City$2,000Several trees downed
June 1995Thunderstorm WindMiles City$2,000Several large trees were knocked down in Miles City.
July 2000Thunderstorm WindMiles City$1,000Window blown out of home
July 1998Thunderstorm WindMizpah$1,000A spotter reported winds gusts to 60 mph which blew branches off trees and shingles off of a roof.
July 1998Thunderstorm WindMizpah$1,000A spotter reported winds gusts to 60 mph which blew branches off trees and shingles off of a roof. This storm also produced 1.57 inches of rainfall in 30 minutes.
August 1993HailMiles City$500no account filed
August 2025Thunderstorm WindMiles City-Tree downed into powerlines.
August 2025Thunderstorm WindMiles City Arpt-Asos weather station kmls at Miles City airport.
August 2025Thunderstorm WindMiles City Arpt-From airport asos station kmls at Miles City.
June 2025FloodMiles City-Widespread street flooding across the city. Lots of standing water under overpasses.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindMiles City Arpt-Reported by Miles City asos.
June 2025HailMiles City-Facebook Report .
June 2025HailMiles City-Hail report.
June 2025HailMiles City-Report from mping.
July 2025HailIsmay-Measured hail.
July 2025HailIsmay-Quarter size hail reported.
July 2025HailSheffield-Report from mping.
July 2025HailVolborg-Report from mping.
July 2025HailVolborg-Measured by spotter.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindKinsey-Estimated 3 to 4 inch diameter tree limbs broken.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindKnowlton-Estimated gust by a spotter.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindFt Keogh-Spotter reported their screen door was completely ripped off its hinges.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindMiles City Arpt-Asos weather station at Miles City Airport.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindMiles City-Tree and powerline damage, along with power outages, were reported throughout Miles City.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindMiles City Arpt-Tree limb damage and shingle damage was reported.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindMiles City Arpt-Power poles were snapped and 3 inch diameter tree limbs were broken.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindMiles City-Trees were uprooted and a roof was blown off a house.
June 2024Thunderstorm WindFt Keogh-A cottonwood tree branch 2 1/2 inches in diameter was snapped.
July 2023Thunderstorm WindMiles City-A large Cottonwood tree was downed.
May 2023Flash FloodMiles City-A RV Park flooded with water running across nearby roads, drainages and culverts. Some culverts were damaged.
August 2023FloodMiles City Arpt-Street flooding occurred across portions of Miles City.
August 2023Thunderstorm WindMiles City-Tree damage was reported. A tree was snapped off at the base and uprooted. Multiple 4-12 inch diameter branches were broken.
August 2023Thunderstorm WindMiles City-An 18 inch diameter, dead tree was snapped.
July 2023Thunderstorm WindMiles City-Tree limbs of 3 to 4 inches in diameter were broken.
July 2022Thunderstorm WindKinsey-Tree branches 4 and 6 inches in diameter were broken at mile markers 13 and 14 on Kinsey Road.
June 2021Thunderstorm WindMiles City Arpt-Winds gusted to 60 mph at the Miles City Airport.
July 2021Thunderstorm WindFt Keogh-Tree branches 4 inches in diameter were broken.
July 2021Thunderstorm WindMiles City-Tree limbs 6 inches in diameter were broken.
May 2020HailMiles City-A windshield was cracked.
May 2020HailKinsey-This storm produced a wall cloud. A storm chaser vehicle was destroyed on I-94.
May 2020Thunderstorm WindKinsey-A semi tipped over on I-94. In addition, 1 foot diameter trees were downed.
May 2020Thunderstorm WindMiles City Arpt-A wind gust of 66 mph was recorded at the Miles City Airport.
May 2020HailMiles City-The hail covered the ground.

Mines and quarries

4 recorded

The Survey's mineral resources record lists 4 workings inside this county. 1 still produces and 3 are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.

Commodity Workings
Uranium1
Gold, Platinum1
Silver1
Sand and Gravel, Construction1

The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Eckart Portable CrusherSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Miles CityGold, PlatinumOccurrenceStream Placer
UnknownUraniumOccurrence
Yellowstone Hill Pit and PlantSilverProducer

Every populated place in the county

24

Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the nearest named watercourse or landform and the survey quadrangle it falls on.

The vanished settlements of Custer County: the places named above that are no longer on the map.

Provenance

  • Topographic sheets. USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection, county index, measured from the bulk metadata.
  • Fire insurance maps. Library of Congress Sanborn collection, faceted to this county.
  • Photographs. Each place queried individually against the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs search.
  • Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.