Miller & Lux records, circa 1869-1965

Summary

Abstract:

The Miller & Lux Records consist primarily of business, farming, administrative, and legal records. Correspondence files, which comprise the major portion of this collection, contain few letters dated prior to 1906, although there are many business, legal, and other documents before that date. Copious and comprehensive records of transactions relating to the acquisitions of property in Oregon, Nevada, and California provide an overview of the company's land sales program and include materials relating to advertising, sales, cancellations, and prices. The day-to-day operations of a cattle conglomerate are represented in detail in the collection, as is Henry Miller's pioneer activity in building irrigation canal systems and defending his water rights in court.

Extent:

Number of containers: 183 boxes, 738 cartons, 210 volumes, 3 oversize folders Linear feet: circa 1037.25 14 digital objects (14 images)

Language:

Collection materials are in English

Background

Scope and content:

The Miller & Lux Records consist primarily of business, farming, administrative, and legal records. Correspondence files, which comprise the major portion of this collection, contain few letters dated prior to 1906, although there are many business, legal, and other documents before that date. Copious and comprehensive records of transactions relating to the acquisitions of property in Oregon, Nevada, and California provide an overview of the company's land sales program, and include materials relating to advertising, sales, cancellations, and prices. The day-to-day operations of a cattle conglomerate are represented in detail in the collection, as is Henry Miller's pioneer activity in building irrigation canal systems and defending his water rights in court.

The collection provides an in-depth record of the mature years of Miller & Lux during a period of modernization and diversification. It documents the changing role of the company as it gradually eliminated the three main elements in its growth: cattle, land, and water (by the end of the 1930's, Miller & Lux had divested itself of land and cattle and sold its water rights to the U.S. government). Although farming and other operations continued on a diminishing scale, the company was involved in protracted litigation arising out of the land sales program, which continued until the company's dissolution around 1964.

Biographical / historical:

In 1857, Henry Miller (1827-1916) and Charles Lux (1823-1887), both German immigrant butchers, formed the partnership of Miller & Lux. Miller & Lux both arrived in San Francisco separately around 1850 and began acquiring land and cattle. It was through their businesses as the cities top butchers that first brought them together in a joint deal. Their partnership was solidified when the men married sisters.

Charles Lux handled the marketing in San Francisco while Miller traveled from ranch to ranch buying acreage and cattle and giving detailed directions on every aspect of the operation. After Lux's death in 1887, several years of complicated litigation followed before Miller bought out the Lux heirs and became the sole owner of Miller & Lux and its wide-ranging holdings.

Miller experimented with developing cattle and sheep breeds particularly suitable for the West and growing crops like alfalfa, rice, and cotton. Miller built the first canals in the state and dug thousands of miles of irrigation ditches around the San Joaquin and Kern rivers. Miller & Lux became the owner of a host of related subsidiary businesses, including stores, banks, hotels, irrigation systems, and public utilities. Miller himself was the major figure in the development of three towns in the central San Joaquin Valley: Los Banos, Firebaugh, and Dos Palos.

Miller & Lux's control of vast water rights for livestock led to protracted legal battles against James Ben Ali Haggin and Lloyd Tevis, who needed irrigation for their huge ranch lands. Hall McAllister successfully defended the rights of Miller & Lux for many years. By the time Miller died in 1916, government estimates listed his land holdings as 1,400,000 acres, although the actual amount of land he controlled through lease and grazing rights was probably far larger.

Acquisition information:

The Miller Lux Records were given to The Bancroft Library by Miller Lux over a period of many years (circa 1963-1988). Additions were made in 2004-2005.

Physical location:

Many of the Bancroft Library collections are stored offsite and advance notice may be required for use. For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the library's online catalog.

Rules or conventions:

Finding Aid prepared using Describing Archives: a Content Standard

Location of this collection:

UC Berkeley, Bancroft Library

University of California, Berkeley, The Bancroft Library

Berkeley, CA 94720-6000, US

Contact:

510-642-6481

bancref-library@berkeley.edu

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