our story

mrs. laura zook arrived in miles city (then milestown) by river steamer in june 1878. she attended school in milestown, taught school in the lame deer region (now the northern cheyenne reservation), and served two terms as county superintendent of schools.

our story began when mrs. zook started a lending library on a small bookshelf in a local store. after she and the custer county ladies library auxiliary secured funding from the andrew carnegie estate library fund, the carnegie library was opened in 1902. mrs. zook served as the library's first librarian and continued in that role for 40 years. 

although the outside staircase was removed, a facade added with space for adult fiction, and a new children's department built, the original carnegie building can still be seen inside and outside the building.