MANDAN Historical Society

Working to Preserve & Promote Mandan's Heritage since 2004

Welcome

Membership

Activities

Ag Stn Centennial

History Harvest

TR-Coe Exhibit

WWII Exhibit

Museum & Office

Area History

Book: "Mantani"

The 1880s

Mandan Rodeo / Fair

School System History

The 1890s

The 1900s

1901 Pan Am Expo

1903 TR Visit to NDak

The 1910s

1910 Spring Flood

1911 Fair & Airplane Demo

1912 TR Whistle-Stop

The 1920s

Prohibition in Mandan

Mail Order Kit Homes

The 1930s

FDR Visit August 1936

The 1940s

The 1950s

1958 Lincoln Stamp FDC

Custer Drama / Trail West

The 1960s

The 1970s

The 1980s

The 1990s

1st of the 21st

2010-Present

Area Landmarks

Cary Bldg - Mandan Drug

CCC Camp Chimney

Christ the King Church

Collins Av Civic Bldg

First Lutheran Church

First National Bank Bldg

First Presbyterian Church

Great Plains Academy

Great Plains Expermt Stn

Lewis & Clark Hotel

Mandan Hill

Mandan Theatre

MV Produce Warehouse

Methodist Church

NP Beanery

NP "Colonial" RR Depot

NPRR Freighthouse

NP Rail High Bridge

Roughrider Statue

St Joseph Church

WWar Memorial Bldg

Youth Correctional Center

Gone Forever

Central School

Collins Ave Courthouse

Cummins Building

Deaconess Hospital

Eielson Field

Emerson Inst/Opera House

First St Federal Building

Havana Club

Hotel Nigey

InterOcean Hotel

Liberty Memorial Bridge

Mandan Creamery & Produce

Mandan Flour Mill

Merchants Hotel

NP "Queen Anne" Depot

Original Passenger Depot

Palace Theatre

Peoples' Hotel

Rock Haven

Topic Theatre

Young's Tavern

Heritage Homes

Altnow-Smith Home

Dunlap-Harris Home

Ellis-Uden Home

Freeburg-Esser Home

Lyon-Weigel Home

McGillic Home

Olson-Brick Home

Parkins-Cooley Home

Stutsman-Wyatt Home

Swanson-Reichman Home

Welch-Ness Home

Endowment Fund

Genealogy Links

Biographies A-C

J D Allen

Franklin Anders

Richard Baron

James Bellows

George Bingenheimer

Margaret Bingenheimer

Philip Blumenthal

Elijah Boley

Frank Briggs

Leo Broderick

William Broderick

Frank Bunting

Lyman Cary

James Clark

Henry Coe

Viola Boley Coe

Daniel Collins

Elizabeth Custer

George Custer

Biographies D-L

Alice Dahners

Henry Dahners

C E V (Charles) Draper

Esther Davis

Tony Dean

Joseph Devine

Ronald Erhardt

John Forbes

Palma Fristad

Gilbert Furness

Aloysius Galowitsch

Frederic Gerard

Zalmon Gilbert

Charles Grantier

James Hanley Jr

James Hanley Sr

Mary Harris

C Edgar Haupt

Michael Lang

William Langer

Albert Lanterman

William Lanterman

Richard Longfellow

Rolland Lutz

Hiram Lyon

Biographies M-R

George Marback

Gary Miller

Lee Mohr

Margaret Naylor

John Newton

Anton Ness

John Osterhouse

George Peoples

Arthur Peterson

Nels Romer

Hoy Russell

Walton Russell

Antonie Rybnicek

Ervin Rybnicek

Hynek Rybnicek

Biographies S-Z

Margaret Schaaf

George Shafer

Benjamin Shaw

William Simpson

Anna Knox Stark

Mary Stark

Benjamin Stephenson

J O Sullivan

John Sullivan

Era Bell Thompson

Andrew E Thorberg

Ida Thorberg

C L Timmerman

George Toman

Earle Tostevin

Edwin A Tostevin Sr

Edwin D Tostevin Jr

Walter Tostevin

Felix Vinatieri

A B Welch

Levon West

Frank Wetzstein

Harry Wheeler

Philomena Yunck

View Collections

Artifacts - Miscellanous

Newspapers

Pottery and Glass

Photos - Buildings

Photos - Downtown

Photos - Floods

Photos - People

Photos - Rail and Trains

What's New

Gary Phillip Miller (1935-2003)
Winner of the 1982 William F. Cody Award presented by the Old West Trail Foundation, Gary Miller was a longtime Mandan resident and nationally renowned artist.  Gary received the State of North Dakota Certificate of Lifetime Achievement Award from the Governor in 1993 for his recognition of his outstanding contributions in the visual arts.
Gary was born August 9, 1935 at Washburn, ND to Leland and Mabel [Erickson] Miller.  As a child, his family moved frequently throughout the US as his father was in the military, He was one of four children including sister Gloria and brothers Deane and James.
 
Miller showed an early interest in art, sketching animals at the age of 5.  While he took art classes in school, he was largely self-taught. 

"Rocky Mountain peaks, piecing through the clouds were the backdrop for my childhood sketches," quoting from the former Idaho resident.

But after World War II, the family returned to North Dakota.  Gary completed high school in Bismarck and attended what is today Bismarck State College. He and his wife Darla [Kuhn] met as juniors while attending Bismarck High School.  Gary and Darla were married on June 14, 1954.  They moved to 1604 Linda Drive in Mandan, where he worked as an operator at the Amoco Oil (now Tesoro) refinery, eventually promoted to operations shift foreman.

He began exhibiting his work in 1960.  His talent & quality of work earned him numerous "People's Choice" awards at art shows & went on to exhibit his art across the US.  He "retired" briefly from the refinery in 1974, but returned shortly over his concern on supporting his wife and children relying on his artwork alone.  But in 1975, he retired permanently from the refinery and devoted himself to his art full time.

Gary and Darla opened Gary's Gallery in Bismarck, in 1975. They opened Gary’s Gallery II in Scottsdale, AZ in 1984. The Scottsdale gallery was closed in 1998.

Throughout his career, h
e was recognized for the authenticity of his work, stemming from his thorough detail and research.  To him, each old building, train, boat, gun, or antique car was history.  Gary tried to tell its story.

"When you look at my paintings I hope you see not just an old house, but the story of lives past."

Gary Miller gained national prominence in the field of art.  His paintings and illustrations of rural life have appeared in magazines, calendars, and galleries throughout the nation. He also received numerous honors and awards. Painting by Miller hang in private and permanent collections throughout the United States as well as the ND Governor's office.


Gary’s art was featured in Southwest Art, US Art, and American Artists of Renown. He was a charter member of the Steam Artists of America in Sedona, AZ. Gary was commissioned to paint Lawrence Welk and his homestead, as well as to paint a scene of the Northern Border pipe line. He presented a print of the pipeline painting to then Vice President George H. W. Bush during his dedication of the project.

In 1989, Gary painted the ND Bicentennial Series of posters.  Gary was commissioned to create a series of three paintings for the Lewis and Clark bicentennial in 2003.  He finished the final painting in his church series (which includes St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Mandan) that same year.


As the saying goes, "all work and no play" makes Gary a dull boy.  After his family and art, Gary's next passion was hot rods and muscle cars.  He would spend hours cleaning and hand polishing his series of vehicles.  A true fan, he never became overly attached to any single car, but seemed to have to have a new one every couple of years.

He was a life member of the Elks Club and served with the North Dakota National Guard.

The Millers had five children including sons Dana, Keenan, Kent and Garret plus daughter Kara.  Gary Miller died on October 23, 2003 and is buried in St. Mary's Cemetery, Bismarck, ND.

The Mandan Historical Society would like to thank Darla Miller for sharing her family photographs and biographical information on her husband with us.


The MHSoc's museum and office is located at 3827 30th Avenue NW; PO Box 1001; Mandan, ND 58554
Contact us at info@mandanhistory.org


Last Updated 03/28
/23    ©  2007-2023  Mandan Historical Society   All rights reserved