John Fred Miles (1884–1963) Photograph Collection, ca. 1888-1972
Held by The Filson Historical Society
Creator: Miles, John Fred, 1884-1963
Title: John Fred Miles Photograph Collection, ca. 1888-1972
Rights: For information regarding literary and copyright interest for these photographs, contact the Collections Department.
Size of Collection: 2 record center boxes, and 1 medium flat file box
Location Number: 015PC68
Scope and Content Note
This collection consists of 35 folders, 10 photo albums, one box of loose oversized photographs, and one cased ambrotype. The collection documents the personal and public life of General J. Fred Miles. It also heavily features his wife Georgia Ellis Miles, née Pittman, and his son Robert F. Miles. The collection includes family photographs, photos sent to the family by distant relatives, events, activities and at various racetracks, specifically Miles Park.
Biographical Note
John Fred Miles, also known as “J. Fred” and “The General,” was born in Sheldon, Missouri in 1884 to John Miles, a farmer, and his wife Mary Smith. Around 1896, 12-year-old Miles moved with his family to Tulsa, Oklahoma. As a young man, Miles worked as a fruit and produce salesman. While in Tulsa, J. Fred met Georgia Ellis Pittman, the daughter of a successful merchant. They married on February 26, 1907. That same year, J. Fred drilled his first oil well. In 1908, Ellis’s father G.W. Pittman passed away. For a period, J. Fred took over his role as the manager of the family jewelry store. In these early years, Miles worked hard to build his knowledge and experience in business and the oil field. Three years later he founded the Swiss Oil Company. In 1913, he incorporated The Neighbors Oil & Gas Company in Oklahoma City. According to newspaper records, J. Fred filed a lawsuit against the Union Oil Company, claiming that they sold him defective land titles. A year later, he won the suit and a large payout.
One year later he made the move to Kentucky and officially incorporated the Swiss Oil Company in Lexington. In 1923, his only surviving child with Georgia Ellis was born, a son named Robert F. Miles, sometimes referred to as Bob or Bobbie. In 1924, J. Fred incorporated Ashland Oil Company under the direction of Paul Glaser, who would replace him in the leadership role only three years later. In August of 1928, J. Fred and his family made the move from Lexington to Louisville, where they settled in a large home on River Park Drive, later moving to Newburg Road.
Due to his importance in the community and interest in horseracing, J. Fred was appointed to the Kentucky Racing Commission in 1939 by his good friend Albert Benjamin “Happy” Chandler, who served over the years as both a Kentucky Governor and Senator. In 1949 he began leasing a half-mile track called the Fairgrounds Speedway at the old Kentucky Fairgrounds. In 1951, Robert Miles married Alberta Glanz, a Louisville native and a schoolteacher, and they went on to have three sons: Mark, John, and Stephen. The first thoroughbred race held at the Fairgrounds took place on June 28, 1956. The track was officially renamed “Miles Park” in 1957 and expanded to 5/8s of a mile. In 1958, J. Fred Miles held the first Junior Derby race at the track, which would become an annual summer event, up until 1971. The popular West End racetrack was well-known for how close the audience was to the horses, as well as the occasional visits from Bing Crosby, Andy Devine, and Muhammad Ali. In 1961, J. Fred Miles sold the track, but remained on as its director.
In 1963, at the age of 79, J. Fred Miles passed away in a Louisville hospital of a heart attack. He had been a well-known and popular figure in his adopted home of Kentucky and had held a post as the Commanding General of the Honorable Order of the Kentucky Colonels for 30 years. J. Fred Miles was survived by his wife, son, daughter-in-law, and three grandchildren. He passed the leadership of the Lafitte Investment Company to his only son, Robert.
Historical Note
What later became known as Miles Park racetrack was located on the site of the old Kentucky State Fairgrounds at the southern end of Cecil Avenue, at 43rd Street in Louisville. A one-half mile oval racetrack was built there in 1907 and opened for use in 1908. The track was used for, among other things, harness races held during the State Fair. It had fallen into disrepair by the mid-1940s.
General J. Fred Miles, a prominent sportsman and oilman (one of the founders of Ashland Oil), leased the track from the state from 1949 to 1955. He made considerable improvements to the facility and held harness racing there each year. The track was known as Fairgrounds Speedway during that time. Miles had been involved in racing for years and was appointed to the Kentucky State Racing Commission in 1939 by close friend Governor A. B. “Happy” Chandler, later Senator, and Baseball Commissioner. Miles served on the Commission for a few terms, including as its chairman from 1947 to 1950, when he resigned.
On June 28, 1956, the first thoroughbred race meeting began on the half-mile oval, the track still being known as Fairgrounds Speedway. It was renamed Miles Park, in honor of J. Fred Miles, in 1957, following its second race meeting and the track was expanded to 5/8ths of a mile, or five furlongs, from its original half-mile. This was the first of several changes which would be made to the racing oval. Miles Park held one annual race meeting each summer, after the end of the Churchill Downs Spring Meet and prior to the opening of the annual Ellis Park summer meet. Tracks, like Miles Park, with a circumference of less than one mile were known in the racing world as “bullrings” because of their sharp turns and short home and back stretches. Horses with inside post positions that broke quickly from the starting gate and were able to negotiate the tight turns had a huge advantage over the rest of the field. Those “horses for courses” became beloved local favorites to the betting public. The connections of most top-caliber horses shunned such tracks. All the other thoroughbred tracks in Kentucky at that time (and since) were at least one mile in circumference.
In 1958, J. Fred Miles inaugurated the track’s premier and richest race, the Junior Derby, which was held every summer through 1971. The race was for two-year-olds, with the hope that it would serve as a local steppingstone to the following year’s Kentucky Derby. It never attained such a status. When J. Fred Miles owned the track, investors included his close friends Bing Crosby, Hollywood Director Howard Hawks, and comedian Andy Devine. Miles and Hawks co-owned the winner of the 1938 Illinois Derby, a horse named Governor Chandler. J. Fred Miles, in declining health, sold the track for $2,000,000 in March 1962 to Joseph L. Arnold, Bernard M. Kahn and Leonard Fruchtman. When the two favorites in the 1962 Junior Derby were unable to negotiate the tight turns and could not finish in the top three, the new owners enlarged and expanded the track to 130 feet short of six furlongs, in time for the 1963 meeting. A tragic fire on May 18, 1964, killed 27 horses and destroyed many of the old barns used for livestock shows dating back to the time the old Fair Grounds was built.
By 1969, the track’s concessionaire, Emprise, a New York corporation, had gained a controlling interest in Miles Park. Racing was conducted during the afternoon until 1970, when night racing began, except for Saturdays and Holidays. Following a 1971 strike by pari-mutuel employees, the Junior Derby and other stakes races were discontinued, never to return. Racing quality thus suffered, and a downward spiral seemed to begin. Considerable improvements to the track and facilities were made and the track was renamed Commonwealth Racecourse in 1974. It ran two meetings under that name, the last being the only winter meeting ever held there, in December of 1974 and January of 1975. The end came when the Kentucky State Racing Commission would not grant racing dates to the Commonwealth for 1976, following owner Emprise’s conviction for racketeering involving a Las Vegas casino. Thoroughbreds never raced there again, though Quarter Horse races were held in the late 1970’s. The Grandstand burned in 1978 and the property was sold to the Whayne Supply Company for business purposes.
Many racing fans fondly remember the humble West End track in which the fans were remarkably close to the action, due to its small size. It had the largest horse barn at any racetrack – the old Horse Show pavilion held 143 horses. Muhammad Ali was a visitor on occasion; he grew up not too far away from the track. Hall of Fame jockey Early Fires was the leading rider at the 1965 meeting when he began his career as an apprentice. Chic Anderson, who did the memorable race call of Secretariat winning the 1973 Belmont, did a stint as the track announcer at Miles Park. Anyone who spent much time at Miles Park will recall the tune played over the track’s loudspeakers minutes before each race – the Colonel Bogey March from the film “The Bridge on the River Kwai.”
Historical Note written by Filson Volunteer, Steve Zollner, former Racing Official for the Racing Secretaries Office for Miles Park Racetrack, and various Kentucky Racetracks from 1972-1980.
Sources:
“Local Attorney Figures in Big Oil Suit,” Page 7, The Bourbon News (5 March 1918, Tuesday)
“J. Fred Miles Succumbs,” Page 11, The Lexington Herald. (23 August 1963, Friday)
Folder List
Box 1
Folder 1: Young J. Fred Miles & His Father John Miles, ca. 1860-1905
Photographs of J. Fred Miles as a young man, at the very beginning of his career. There is one image of him in casual workwear, possibly at an oil field. There are also two photographs of his father, John Miles.
Folder 2: Portraits of J. Fred Miles, ca. 1926-1950
A series of formal headshots taken of J. Fred Miles, mostly from when he was middle-aged. There is also an etching in this folder of the profile view of an older J. Fred Miles, as well as a glass plate negative (with an unattached gold metal backing) portrait.
Folder 3: Ellis Pittman’s Tulsa Relatives and Friends 1, ca. 1885-1944
Photographs of Ellis Pittman’s family, including portraits of herself, her sisters, and cousins, as well as her father. Family members who are identified include: Perryman, W.P. Hall, Mossie Lurio(?), Floyd Lurio(?), G.W. Pittman (Ellis’s father), Anna Pittman, Katherine Hall, Mabelle Bynurm, Marguerite Pittman, and a photograph of Ellis’s brother, Douglas Pittman, taken by her son Robert.
Folder 4: Ellis Pittman’s Tulsa Relatives and Friends 2, ca. 1885-1944
Photographs of Ellis Pittman’s family, including portraits of herself, her sisters, and cousins, as well as her father. Family members who are identified include: Perryman, W.P. Hall, Mossie Lurio(?), Floyd Lurio(?), G.W. Pittman (Ellis’s father), Anna Pittman, Katherine Hall, Mabelle Bynurm, Marguerite Pittman, and a photograph of Ellis’s brother, Douglas Pittman, taken by her son Robert.
Folder 5: Tulsa, OK, 1900-1907
Photographs of Ellis Pittman’s familial landmarks in Tulsa, including her Aunt Hall’s home, at which Ellis was married, as well as her father G. W.’s jewelry store, and the First Presbyterian Church, where she played her first organ.
Folder 6: Early Family Life of J. Fred Miles, Ellis, & Robert (Lexington), 1921-1934
Photographs of the Miles family, dating to the 1920s and 1930s. These were likely taken during their time in Lexington. There are photographs of their home at Linden Walk. This folder contains intimate photographs of Ellis and a young Robert.
Folder 7: Miles Family Life in Louisville, 1945-1964
Photographs of the Miles family, taken after they moved to Louisville. These photographs show intimate scenes of family life. There are photographs of their Louisville home and servants, including their maid Nellie, and Robert’s old nursemaid, Eliza Keys.
Folder 8: Robert F. Miles Adolescence and Adulthood, 1923-1963
Solo photographs of Robert F. Miles, from infancy to adulthood. There are a series of photographs of Bobbie between the ages of 3 and 7, playing by himself, or with his cat or his friend. There are four headshots of Bobbie as a teenager, two of which are the same photo of him posing with his camera, but with different coloring. There are also two photos of the swearing in of Robert Miles to the army in 1942, as well as two small snapshots of him in front of a plane during his training at Parks Air College.
Folder 9: Kodak Negative Album– Negatives which were taken from a small black Kodak brand negative album. The negatives are mostly artistic portraits of young women. The subjects and photographer are unidentified. The photos were more than likely taken by Robert F. Miles, who was known to have an interest in photography.
Folder 10: Wedding of Robert Miles and Alberta Glanz, 1951
Photographs of the wedding of Robert Miles and Alberta Glanz, which took place on June 2, 1951. The series of photographs features the bride and groom, their wedding party, and both sets of parents.
Folder 11: The Childhood and Adolescence of the Three Grandsons, 1957-1972
This folder contains photographs of the three sons of Robert and Alberta Miles: Johnny, Mark, and Stephen. There are three large newborn photographs of each boy, likely taken while still in the hospital, as well as many images of them as toddlers and young children. Occasionally their parents or grandparents appear beside them. There is one photograph of John Miles which was taken while he was in the 11th grade.
Folder 12: Miles Family Pets, ca. 1942-1960
This folder contains photographs of family pets, including the Miles family dog Tip, horses, a cat, and the three young grandsons with a goat.
Folder 13: Honorable Order of the Kentucky Colonels, ca. 1957-1972
This folder contains a series of photographs of a Kentucky Colonel barbecue, held at “The Forest,” an estate owned by Colonel Anna Friedman Goldman. Attendees included General J. Fred Miles and Governor Happy Chandler. This folder also contains a run of photographs related to the Honorable Order of the Kentucky Colonels, including a 1972 letter from General Bob Evans, the General who replaced J. Fred following his death in 1963, to “General” Georgia Miles. The letter and images show new construction which was the result of collaboration between the Colonels and the UofL School of Medicine. The original letter has been removed to the Miles papers. There is an unrelated photograph of J. Fred and his family at a Lions Club International event.
Folder 14: Military Events, ca. 1941-1946
This folder contains both miscellaneous photos of military events which J. Fred attended, as well as a series of photos taken at a wartime charity event at the WGRC Radio Station in New Albany, Indiana on March 29, 1941, as well as a series of photographs of the McLaughlin Airfield Army Day Parade in 1946, which took place in Hot Springs, Arizona on April 6.
Folder 15: Deconstructed Album – PGA Army-Navy War Relief Match, ca. 1942
This is a collection of photographs which have been removed from an album. This album contains a multitude of images covering different events. There is a series of photographs documenting the PGA War Relief Golf Match, at which J. Fred Miles was a referee, and Bing Crosby played. There is some writing on these images, for example one dictates that Gen. Miles bid $750 for a pair of clubs. Other celebrities and politicians attended, such as Jack Ryans, Senator Happy Chandler, and Bob Craigs.
Folder 16: Deconstructed Album – Joint Tribute to Independence Day & Birthday Anniversary of Stephen Foster (Bardstown, July 4, 1942)
This is a collection of photographs which have been removed from an album. The album opens with a photocopy of a newspaper article about the event. Each of the album photographs has a caption pasted onto it. The Kentucky Colonels attended and had a luncheon in the Talbott Tavern. There was a procession to the Old Kentucky Home. Attendees included J. Fred Miles, Senator (1939-1945) Happy Chandler, and Brig. Gen. Stephen G. Henry. Nancy Miles sang at the invocation.
Folder 17: Deconstructed Album – Army Day at Fort Knox, April 7th, 1947
This is a collection of photographs which have been removed from an album. This spiral photobook was given to J. Fred Miles on his visit to Fort Knox for Army Day. The cover is missing, and there is a handwritten note on the inside page. The images show an army parade and demonstration, with a crowd in the stands viewing the celebrations.
Folder 18: Deconstructed Album – Gen. J. Fred Miles Pre-Derby Trap Shoot for Grand American, 1948
This is a collection of photographs which have been removed from an album. Photographs were taken at the Pre-Derby Trap Shoot for Grand American on June 12, 1948. A group of men and women attended, and it appears there was an outdoor meal, as well as rifle shooting.
Folder 19: Misc. Deconstructed Album
This is a collection of photographs which have been removed from an album. The original captions were also removed and have been attached to each photo with a clip. The photographs depict a formal WGRC Radio dinner event, with many important political and military attendees. General J. Fred, Ellis, and Robert Miles are all pictured. There are more images of Robert’s swearing in.
Folder 20: Military Headshots, ca. 1950-1960
This folder contains multiple portrait photographs of military officials, all of which have handwritten notes addressing the headshots to “General Miles.” A few of the military men included are Major General John L. Ryan and 2nd Lieutenant Stephen Henry.
Folder 21: Outdoor Sports, ca. 1955
This folder contains photographs of J. Fred Miles participating in various outdoor sports, including golfing, fishing, and hunting. In three images, General Miles is receiving a trophy from a 1955 skeet shooting presentation in Kentucky. In others, he is shooting with Governor “Happy” Chandler, amongst others. This folder also contains two hunting related photographs. The first is a large group of men standing behind a row of dead deer hanging off a truck by their antlers. The second image depicts a man self-identified as Al Green sitting on top of a dead elephant which he has shot, and it’s dedicated “To a real good sport” J. Fred, from East Africa in 1955.
Folder 22: Costume Photos, “Gay 90s” party, 1944
These photographs were taken in either June or August of 1944, and depict J. Fred and Ellis in costume dress for an 1890s themed party. The setting is possibly the “Old Pavilion.” There is also a photograph of the couple in a horse-drawn carriage.
Folder 23: Parties with Famous Persons 1, ca. 1940-1960
This folder contains photographs of various famous individuals, often beside General Miles or his wife. Many of the photos take place at parties, dinners, or sporting events. There is a series of photographs of Mile’s home cook house, one including Bing Crosby. Famous individuals include – Bing Crosby, J. Graham Brown, Happy Chandler, Art Linkletter, Bob Hope, George Jessel, Max Patkin, Roscoe Goose. There is an autographed glamour shot of 1940s actress Barbara Stanwyck, dedicated to Miles.
Folder 24: Parties with Famous Persons 2, ca. 1940-1960
This folder contains photographs of various famous individuals, often beside General Miles or his wife. Many of the photos take place at parties, dinners, or sporting events. There is a series of photographs of an RKO charity event, which was attended by Happy Chandler. There is also an autographed glamour shot of 1940s actress Barbara Stanwyck, dedicated to Miles.
Folder 25: Parties with Famous Persons 3, ca. 1940-1960
This folder contains another run of images of the Miles couple attending parties, both formal and informal, with prominent figures. Happy Chandler signed one image, 1939. The last few photographs in this folder are headshots from celebrities, dedicated to Bob or Fred Miles, and autographed. The autographs include – Virginia Walker, Lum and Abner, and Cecil B. Demille.
Folder 26: Famous Jockeys, ca. 1935-1955
This folder consists of headshots of famous jockeys. These jockeys are as follows – Eugene James, Ken Church, Eddie Arcaro, Earl Sande, Steve Brooks, Charley Kurtsinger, Johnny Adams, Mack Farmer, and Johnny Longden.
Folder 27: Harness Racing, ca. 1949-1955
Photographs depicting harness racing. Some of the photos show the Old Fairgrounds Speedway prior to its transition to Miles Park. The photographs feature the Miles family, jockeys, and horses. A paper license for harness racing, which was issued to J. Fred Miles, was removed from this folder to the Mss. Collection.
Folder 28: Saddlebred Horses 1, ca. 1940-1950
Photographs of Saddlebred horses, sometimes with riders, and sometimes beside J. Fred Miles. Some of the photographs seem to document the physique of the racehorses.
Folder 29: Saddlebred Horses 2, ca. 1940-1950
Photographs of Saddlebred horses, sometimes with riders, and sometimes beside J. Fred Miles. There is one John R. Horst folder containing a write-up about the horse Wise Decision. There is also what appears to be a print of a horse by artist W. Luckett. It seems that J. Fred Miles either owned or had a stake in some of the horses featured in this folder.
Folder 30: Miles Park 1, ca. 1940-1961
Photographs of the field, grandstand, and attendees of Miles Park. There are multiple photographs of Miles posing with the trophy and winner of Junior Derbies. There are photographs documenting the reconstruction and expansion of the track in 1956.
Folder 31: Miles Park 2, ca. 1940-1961
Photographs of the field, grandstand, and attendees of Miles Park. There are multiple photographs of Miles posing with the trophy and winner of Junior Derbies. There are photographs of Mr. and Mrs. Miles posing with various members of the horse racing community.
Folder 32: At the races 1, ca. 1940-1955
Photographs of people at various tentatively identified racetracks (Ellis Park, Keeneland, Churchill Downs, etc.). There is a series of photographs from the 1955 Kentucky Derby, as well as other unidentified Derby years. There are a few images of General Miles with James C. Ellis, the namesake of Ellis Park Racetrack. There is an image of Miles sitting with William Frawley (actor from I Love Lucy).
Folder 33: At the races 2, ca. 1940-1955
Photographs of people at various tentatively identified racetracks (Ellis Park, Keeneland, Churchill Downs, etc.). Happy Chandler is also featured in one image. There is a run of photographs of General J. Miles standing next to horses and their jockeys. The folder also contains a brochure titled “Vacation at Del Mar California,” with a postcard of the Del Mar Turf Club, which coincides with a brochure titled “Vacation at Del Mar California,” which can be found in the papers.
Folder 34: Miscellaneous Family and Friends, ca. 1920-1960
This folder contains portraits and group photos of individuals who were friends or family related to the Miles family. There is a run of photographs of the “McGowen” children. Some of the images could be of a young Robert Miles or his sons but are unidentified.
Folder 35: Miscellaneous, ca. 1920-1940
This folder contains photographs of miscellaneous unidentified people. There is a small run of artistic photographs, which could have been taken by Robert Miles. In one such image, there is an unidentified young man beside a rowboat, and this young man might be Robert.
Album Listing
Box 2
Album 36: “Snapshots of Baby”, 1924-1936
Small cloth bound tan album containing snapshots of Robert F. Miles as an infant, sometimes next to relatives and family friends.
Album 37: Small Black Family Album, 1920s-1930s
Album of Robert F. Miles as an infant and young child. The photos are personal, showing the family laughing and hanging out at their home in Lexington. The images may have descriptions on their backs, but they are pasted in.
Album 38: Red Bound Album with Compass Design and “Gen. J. Fred Miles”, December 6, 1942
The subject of the album is a concert, possibly a World War 2 charity event, at which Bing Crosby performed. There are decorative cut-outs in some of the pages, which frame the people in the photograph’s faces when the paper page is laid on top of the photo.
Album 39: Red Album held together by pins, “GEN. J. FRED MILES”, ca. 1950
This album contains photographs of high-ranking military officials, including Col. C. W. Seifert and Lt. Gen. Alvan Cullom Gillem Jr. The album is a mixture of portraits, solo photos of officials at their desk, and unposed images of unidentified military members.
Album 40: Red Album held together by tan shoelaces, “Gen J. FRED MILES”
This album consists of military personnel images, some overlapping with Album 39. The first page of the album features multiple pasted-in newspaper articles about Miles Park. The rest of the album is headshots of military officials, some of which are autographed and dedicated to J. Fred Miles.
Album 41: Grey Album, Mark Miles Family Photos, ca. 1910-1920
This album was created by Mark Miles, one of Ellis Miles grandchildren. The photos document the life of the Miles family while they resided in Lexington, KY. There are also photos of the Pittman family, specifically their home in Tulsa.
Album 42: Blue album, Mrs. Miles Family Photos
This album is a mixture of newspaper clippings which mention Ellis Miles, and familial photographs from the late 1920s and the 1930s, when the family resided in Louisville, KY.
Album 43: Miles Park, ca. 1950
This album contains photographs which were taken at or relating to Miles Park. J. Fred Miles is featured in many of the photos, alongside figures like Happy Chandler, Roscoe Goose, and Adolph Rupp. There is also a photo of the Junior Derby Trophy.
Album 44: KY Derby and KY Colonel Party, 1948
This album contains photographs of either the 1948 or 1949 Kentucky Derby, as well as the Kentucky Colonel parties which accompanied it. J. Fred Miles is present in many of the photographs, including one beside the Derby winner.
Oversized Materials
Box 3
Headshots and Horse Racing
This box contains oversized headshots of J. Fred Miles and various celebrities and politicians related to horse racing. Including George Adams, Joan Perry, and C. B. “Happy” Chandler. There are group photos in the stands, views of Churchill Downs, and photos of horses on the track. There is one photograph of famous black horse trainer Will Harbut, standing with a horse that is possibly Man O’ War.
Removed from Collection
015PC68: Ambrotype of an unidentified solider, possibly of the American Civil War. The original package notates, “Grandfather Stockton,” but no family connections have been determined yet. Preliminary research has identified one possibility, a Civil War ancestor on the Pittman side: Jesse Reuben Ellis Pittman who served in the North Carolina 2nd Cavalry Regiment. [Object has been removed and placed in the Cased Images Collection].
Subject Headings
Churchill Downs
Horse farms
Horse Racing
Horse Tracks
Horses
Keeneland
Kentucky Derby
Lexington, Kentucky
Oil wells
World War II
