63795 638 Ave., Dawson, Nebraska. County/parish: Richardson.
Added to the National Register of Historic Places December 19, 2012. NRIS 12001075.
4 contributing buildings.Also known as:
Miles Ranch near Dawson, Nebraska was the first of the great ranches established west of the Missouri River. It was established by Stephen Boyd Miles in 1855 as part of “mail grant land” awarded by the United States Government in exchange for transporting mail, freight, and passengers between Independence, Missouri, and Salt Lake City, Utah. Strategically located along the Overland Trail, the Ranch became the headquarters of Miles’ stage line empire. Hundreds of horses and mules were recuperated at the Ranch to service the thriving stage line business. Hemp was the first crop and used to make rope.
The Ranch was a city in and of itself covering as much as 42,000 acres of land between Nebraska and Kansas. At the Ranch, multiple buildings were erected, including several barns, a bunkhouse, silos, and numerous other houses. An elaborate water system was created to supply the needs of the Ranch. A post office was run out of the first, crude house. A general store, blacksmith shop, and sawmill were located on the property. As a stagecoach stop, the Miles Ranch also offered lodging for weary travelers.
Long before Miles established the Miles Ranch, the land was home to various Native American tribes. First the Pawnee and the Otoe arrived in the area. There were subsequent arrivals of the Sauk and Meskwaki and the Iowa, followed by the Ho-Chunk and the Sioux.
(read more...)National Park Service documentation: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/73921284