Miller & Lux

Cattle ranching and land company firm; formed in 1858, as a partnership of Henry Miller and Charles Lux, German immigrants and former competitors in the butcher business of San Francisco.

From the description of Miller & Lux records, 1897-1919. (Nevada State Historical Society). WorldCat record id: 123945376

Started by Henry Miller and Charles Lux, Miller & Lux was involved in the cattle industry in California, buying huge swaths of land, including Rancho Sanjon de Santa Rita, beginning in the 1850s. The company brought lawsuits against rancher James Ben Ali Haggin over water rights in the Rancho Sanjon de Santa Rita area in the 1880s.

From the description of Sanjon de Santa Rita records, 1841-1888. (California Historical Society). WorldCat record id: 733852874

Corporate History

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.

From the guide to the Miller & Lux Records, circa 1869-1965, (The Bancroft Library)