By March 1872 Commissioner Charters had issued 25 prospecting area permits in the vicinity of Mosman's claim[4] and the rush began.

Charters Towers began with a number of stores, hotels and a butcher shop along a track that was to become Mosman Street, with the population reputedly 3000 by August 1872.

[1] In the meantime, it had become evident the procurement of gold from the deep seams of Charter Towers required substantial machinery to crush quartz and sink shafts.

This required working capital to find the gold, finance machinery and to pay the wages of workers employed on these time-consuming processes.

[1][15] Mining secretaries ensured the companies complied with the relevant legislation and regulation and kept board members informed of their legal responsibilities.

[1][17] The growth of both Gympie's and Charters Towers' gold fields led to the establishment of brokerages in both towns and in Brisbane, dealing in mining shares.

"[1][34] In February 1887 ED Miles released plans for his new office designed by local architect WG Smith Jnr.

These include the Band Pavilion in Lissner Park and the Masonic Lodge in Charters Towers, and Osler House and the Choral Society Buildings in Townsville.

[1][38] An economic downturn occurred in 1888 because of a decrease in overseas investment and a continuing drought which led to the closure of crushing machines due to lack of water.

[1] Charters Towers was at its economic peak in the late 19th century, and according to Government Geologist Robert Logan Jack, was the third largest gold producing area in Australia, after Ballarat and Sandhurst (Bendigo).

[50] Extensions to accommodate its expansion were reported in the Northern Mining Register:[1]The offices which are of brick, lined with wood, and lofty to provide ventilation have a frontage of 40ft (sic) to Mosman-street by a depth of 80ft and recent additions include a room for the corresponding clerks, a room for the share-broking department and a private apartment for members of the staff.

On the left hand-side, after entering the hall, is the office of the chief clerk, Mr J Mortimer Hastings in which directors' meetings are held.

Mr Hastings takes the directors' meetings and attends to the correspondence; on the right of the hall is the large board-room in which meetings of shareholders takes place and where in the daytime six clerks are engaged under the supervision of Mr JD Macfarlane, who attends to the Warden's Court business, advertising, the despatch of call and dividend notices, and the transaction of insurance and general business.

[58] From 1905 Miles's parliamentary work necessitated his relocation to Brisbane, initially living in Kinellan House in New Farm, then at Nyrambla in Ascot.

[1] Despite Charters Towers being declared a city in 1909, the downturn in mining from 1914 and its cessation in 1917 contributed to a steady decrease in population during this time.

[1][62] Mining companies began folding: the Mills Day Dawn United, the New Queen Central, Moonstone and Telegraph in 1916.

[1][68] The ED Miles and Co. building was purchased in 1928 by the North Queensland Racing Association (NQRA)[69] which had formed in Charters Towers in 1886.

Bartlams was involved in the sale of livestock and real estate, as well as being wine and spirit merchants, generally servicing western Queensland grazing properties.

During this time, a large steel-framed structure on a concrete slab was constructed behind the building, facilitating tyre fitting and wheel balancing/alignments etc.

Bounded by commercial properties to the north and south, this single storey timber building with rendered masonry facade embellished with classical detailing, is built to the front and side alignments.

A curved awning roof clad in corrugated metal sheeting and supported on slim decorative cast iron posts extends over the footpath along the width of this building and the adjoining premises to the north.

Exterior walls are single skin with externally exposed stud framing lined internally with boards detailed with double beading.

Internal partitions are also single skin with stop-chamfered studs and these, together with the ceiling, are lined with single-beaded tongue and groove boards.

That which is clear finished includes cedar windows in the north-west (front) and south-east (rear) walls of the 1901 addition and the architraves, reveals and fanlights of the large bi-folding door opening.

[1] The 1887 portion of the building comprises a large public area (11 metres (36 ft) wide) with a substantial painted cedar counter on the left hand side.

Cedar bi-fold doors which originally graced this opening have been removed to The World Theatre (the former Australian Bank of Commerce) in Mosman Street.

The large, tapered-wall roof lantern (8 metres (26 ft) high) with operable windows straddles the hallway and front two offices, bathing them in natural light.

It has a concrete floor, thick masonry walls and a heavy steel entrance door facing the main building.

The ED Miles and Company mining exchange is rare as one of four known buildings of this type in Queensland, all located in Charters Towers; it being the most intact of these.

Situated at the northern end of this precinct, the building is an intact example of a small-scale commercial structure with modestly decorated facade and street awning, contributing to the variety and character of this townscape.