Under the eaves… Volume 5 Issue 3

The Dirty Plate Route

Early in his career, Henry Miller established a policy with respect to tramps.  He came to a ranch one day and saw what was obviously a tramp chopping wood.  He said to the foreman, “Who is that chopping wood?”

“Oh”, said the foreman, “that’s just a tramp.  I’m having him chop wood for his dinner”.

Henry Miller said, “never do that.  If a man is so unfortunate as to beg for food, give it to him and win his gratitude.  Never make him work for it and get his hatred”.

Another time when going through a ranch he saw a tramp sleeping in a hay stack.  He said to the foreman, “Don’t let the tramps sleep in the hay stacks.  Let them know that they can always have one night’s lodging in the barn.  If they fall asleep in the hay stack, they may stay several days, break it all down, probably get to smoking and set it on fire.  If you give them a bed in the barn, they will appreciate it, stay just one night, won’t use any matches, and then be on their way.  Never let them stay more than one night”.

One day he came to a ranch house and found two more men is the dining room than showed on the payroll.  He said to the foreman, “How’s this?  You’ve got more men is the dining room than are on your payroll”.

The foreman said, “Two of them are tramps”.

Henry Miller said, “Don’t let the tramps eat with the men.  First thing you know, you will have the men saying they are treated like tramps.  Let the men eat first and the tramps afterwards”.

One day Henry Miller was taken to task by the cook, who said, “Mr. Miller, I came here to cook for the men.  I don’t like washing dishes for tramps”.

Henry Miller said, “All right, we’ll have the tramps eat after the men off of the same plates.  They will clean them for you”.

The cook thought this was a good joke and did not press his point further, so these became the rules for the hobo hotels on the Henry Miller ranches:

  1. Never refuse a tramp a meal, but never give him more than one meal. A tramp should be a tramp and keep on tramping.
  2. Never refuse a tramp a night’s lodging. Warn him not to use any matches, and let him sleep in the barn, but never let him stay for more than one night.
  3. Never make a tramp work for his meal. He won’t thank you, if you do.  Anyhow he is too weak to work before a meal and too lazy to work after a meal.
  4. Never let the tramps eat with the men. Make them wait until the men are through, and then make them eat off of the same plates.  The coo should not be made to do extra work for tramps.

Miller & Lux ranches were well known for their Dirty Plate policy.  There were two classes on the Route.  Two distinct classes travel these whirls, distinct in speech and in appearance.  One is the “burley” and one is the hobo of our railroad tracks who stops to recuperate for a few months on the way to or from San Francisco and Los Angeles but a class by itself, the old original order of shadow chasers, the man who never leaves the dirty plate route, who considers it home, is the “reservation stiff”.  The peculiar part of it all, he looked down upon the “burleys” with hard-boiled hats and coal dust down their backs.

This was once brought to Henry Miller’s attention is a strange way.  In company with Harvard Porter, a fallen mighty, he was going from North Camp to Dutch Boys stations on the ”inside whirl” when a band of canvasback ducks rose out of a pond.  Canvasbacks!  Exclaimed Porter, “The first of the season.  Look out now for the roughs with itch browns 19 ½ collars and .22 caliber eyes.  It means the snows have fallen in the north and soon bands of these toughs will be floating in and they’re a bad lot, take it from me.  Never have anything to do with them”. (When the snow fell up north, the hobos, were on the move to warmer climates.)

Among the “burleys” one seldom if ever meets with an educated person, while with in the ranks of the  ”reservations stiffs” there are many.  And it seems the better educated, the deeper they have dipped into the fountain of knowledge, the more degraded and debased they are, especially when drunk and to be drunk is the aim and the ambition of most every rambler on the dirty plate route.  Many would refuse a smoke but few will do the same with a drink.  To satisfy this deep craving and desire they will do anything, even work and they will drink anything, even a local brew known as ”sheep dip” or “mule punch”, so named because of its powerful kick.

The nicknames or as they have it on the dirty plate route, the “ear marks” or “brands” are always apt, if not complimentary.  For instance, one young fellow with a large nose is called “Spoon Bill” another with a twisted mouth “Funny Face”.  “Flipity Flop” is applied to an ex-soldier who has the sleeping sickness and who “flops” whenever the spirit moves.  “Seldom Seen” Murphy avoids the other men and only appears at mealtime is their company “Millionaire George” a youth extravagant with conversation money.  “Silver Tip” a boy of 21 years whose hair is now white from a fever.  There are many nicknames in the bunch.  As for Swedes there are “Lone Swede”, “Loco Swede”, “Gunny Sack Swede”, “Crazy Swede” and the “Irish Swede”.  The latter speaks English with an Irish brogue.  At Seattle he deserted his ship and obtained work on a railroad crew of Irish natives’ from where he picked up his English.

But lastly of all the characters tramping the dirty plate route, the greatest of these is the “Grand Duke”, always drunk and always spouting Latin, Greek, or French.  One morning, in a saloon in Firebaugh, he stood in the center of the room with a large glass of “sheep dip” in his hand, leering and smirking at it.  Presently he sipped it, “Infamous stuff this, to soothe a thirst”, and shuddered.  “Excuse me”, said he with a bow that displayed a flash of gentility.  “Excuse me for flaunting Horace in your sodden faces but you’ll never appreciate the gem even should I reduce it to words of one syllable.  But hear ‘Drink comrades, drink! Give lose to mirth.  With joyous footsteps beat the earth and spread before the war-gods shrine.  The Salinas feast, the sacrificial wine Bring Bring”.  After repeating Bring several times he slowly sank to the floor like a wet towel, falling in a heap.

 

 

 

 

To the Late Henry Miller

A grand old man is laid to rest

And countless hearts feel sad

Because he was the truest, best

Friend the poor man ever had

For up and down his vast domain

Along this golden shore

No poor suppliant ever has

Gone hungry from his door

And if of all the virtues

The good book tells us of

The chiefest one is charity

We know that the God above

Will open wide the pearly gates

And ‘round the great wide throne

The angel choir will welcome

Dear Uncle Henry home.

San Francisco Examiner – anonymous

 

 

Henry Agard, Henry Miller’s long-time chauffeur said during an interview with Ralph Milliken, “it was Nickel who did away with the Dirty Plate Route.  Then fires began everywhere.  Granaries and haystacks.   One granary full of barley.  The Miller & Lux men all pleaded with Nickel to put back the Dirty Plate Route.  “No!  The doing away of the Dirty Plate Route has nothing to do with these fires,” was his reply.  When Nickel finally put the Dirty Plate Route on again the fires absolutely stopped.  I think that Miller never carried insurance on his San Joaquin Valley properties.  Feeding the hobos was his method of insurance.”

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References

One Man Show Henry Miller in the San Joaquin, Edited by Charles Sawyer, Interviews by Ralph Milliken,  Los Banos: Ralph Milliken Museum Society, 2003)

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Under the eaves… Volume 4 Issue 2
Bloomfield Farm 1896

Henry Miller and the Peacock Dinner

Ralph Merritt, one of Henry Miller’s drivers, related the story of the Peacock Dinner to Ralph Milliken during an interview.

Henry Miller was a multimillionaire and owned over a million acres of land, but he felt that the big rich and influential businessmen of San Francisco looked down on him because he had begun as a butcher boy.

“I determined to correct their impressions,” Henry told Ralph Merritt one day.  Miller had a great sense of humor, and with a laugh in his voice and a twinkle in his eye he told Merritt about a book he had once read about Alexander the Great.  (It was in this book that Henry learned that he owned more land than Alexander ever conquered.)  In the book there was a picture of a feast that Alexander gave to prove how great he was.  At a long banquet table, with all the great people of the day, and Alexander at the head, the feast was served.  A great number of husky slaves came in bearing the dinner on trays on the tops of their heads.  A whole peacock lay on each tray.

“I determined to follow Alexander’s example, said Henry.  I decided to invite Stanford, Crocker, Ralston, and all the rest of those San Francisco big wigs to a dinner at Bloomfield.  I was determined to show them that although I had been a butcher boy nevertheless, I was as good as Crocker and Spreckles and all the rest of them.”

At the Santa Rita Ranch, Miller had quite a large number of peacocks.  He told the superintendent to catch up a few of these birds and send them over to Bloomfield.  The superintendent set the buckaroos to work catching them.  The cowboys first tried to lasso the birds, but the birds were so quick that they would get their heads out of the noose before any of the ropers had time to tighten their ropes.   The cowboys then got to work chasing the birds.  (Running after peacocks in high heeled boots must have been quite a sight.)   They finally threw away the ropes and went to using clubs.

At Bloomfield preparations for the great feast of the peacocks was on going.  Miller remembered that in the picture of Alexander that the trays with the stuffed peacocks, had been carried aloft.  So, he sent to San Francisco and had a number of waiters sent down.  The guests arrived.  Henry Miller sat at the head of the table.  The waiters marched around the room in triumph twice each with a tray carrying a stuffed peacock.  The fattest and plumpest bird was placed in front of Henry Miller to carve.

“I attempted to drive the fork into the breast of the bird,” laughed Miller.  “To my consternation the peacock slid off of the platter on to the tablecloth.  I got it back on the platter and again made a determined stab with the fork.  Once more the bird slid off, this time in the opposite direction.  Once again I got it back with no greater success than before.”

Miller finally had to give up.  He did not know that peacocks are so tough that no one can eat them.  But the butcher boy rose to the occasion triumphantly.  To his mirthful guests he explained, “those cooks of mine know nothing.  They can’t even cook peacocks right.  They cooked them so bad nobody can eat them!”  (My guess is that dinner, though slightly delayed, was the best prime beef to be had anywhere.)

______________________________________________________________________________

References

One Man Show Henry Miller in the San Joaquin, Edited by Charles Sawyer, Interviews by Ralph Milliken,  (Los Banos: Ralph Milliken Museum Society, 2003)

________________________________________________________________________

I hope that you found this story fun and enjoyed reading about Henry Miller’s Peacock Dinner.

Next, we will take a look at what has been happening out at the Barn.

Questions and comments are always welcome.  Contact me;

(Patti Perino) at 408-410-1495 or email at millerredbarn@outlook.com

If you have not read all of the Under the eaves…stories about Henry Miller and his family, and would like to “catch up” they are posted on our website at;     https://millerredbarn.org in the Blog section.

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Under the eaves… Volume 2 Issue 2

 Under the eaves…Volume 2 Issue 2

 

Henry and his sisters…

As I mentioned in the beginning, Henry Miller and his three sisters were not on the best terms after their mother died in 1842 in Germany.  This is one of the circumstances that influenced Henry to leave home.  But, as all things change in family dynamics, Henry and his three sisters reconciled.

Henry’s second sister, Elizabeth Johanna Kreiser (born May 21, 1823), was the first to arrive in the United States, landing in 1854.  She married Henry Long in the late 1850’s and they had four children; Lizzie, Sarah, Nellie and Albert.  Elizabeth died in 1870 in San Francisco.  Henry and Sarah took in their four nieces and nephews and raised them at their home.

Frederike Christine Kreiser (born April 22, 1821), married Gottlieb Friedrich Pfeifer on October 12, 1854, in Brackenheim, Germany.  Gottlieb was a vintner and the grandson of a friend of her Grandparents.  After her husband’s death on January 21, 1874, Frederike decided to immigrate to the United States with her four(?) children and came to live near her brother and Sarah.

In an article in the Gilroy Advocate dated August 25, 1881, it was reported:

“Since the transfer of 2400 acres of the Carlisle Ranch to Henry Miller, a partition fence has been erected over the southern boundary and sundry improvements made about the homestead where German Bros., Carlisle, Littleton and other pioneers lived for years.  Additions have been made to the house and the back part is entirely new.  It is not a commodious family residence, bearing a clean, neat and inviting appearance.  A new fence surrounds it.  Ingram & Sons have been very busy with the paintbrush on the house and fence and done excellent work.  The ground near the house is being prepared with fertilizers for an orchard, which will be set in the spring.  Water from two perpetual springs in the hills will be conveyed in pipes to the premises.  It is now the home of Mr. Miller’s sister, a widow, and her two sons.  The lady’s name is Pfeiffer and she has but recently arrived from Germany.”

Frederike died in 1891 on April 2nd, and Henry arranged for a large burial service to be held at the Bloomfield Farm cemetery.  There is some confusion about where she died and where the funeral services were held.  One account from the Gilroy Advocate dated April 4, 1891, stated:

“Mrs. Pfeiffer, sister to Henry Miller of Bloomfield Farm, died of pneumonia on Thursday last at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Steve Sheldon.  Funeral services will be conducted today, 1p.m., by Rev D.T. McClelland at the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Sheldon beyond the Carnadero School house”.

A second article in the Gilroy Advocate dated April 11, 1891, it stated:

“The funeral of Mrs. Frederike Pfeiffer took place at Bloomfield Farm cemetery on Saturday last.  There was a large following of friends and relatives, and the grave scene was made strikingly impressive by the solemn service conducted by Rev. D.T. McClelland of the Presbyterian Church, assisted by the church choir.  Many floral mementoes were placed on the grave, one representing a pillow with the word ‘Sister’ wrought in colored flowers, the gift of her only living brother, Mr. Henry Miller.  There were other floral pieces, among them ‘Gates Ajar’, ‘The ripened wheat’, an anchor, etc.”

 It seems that Frederike died at her daughter’s home and the services actually took place at Bloomfield Farm.  The one consistent part is that Rev. D.T. McClelland of the Presbyterian Church conducted the service.

An additional report from the Gilroy Advocate read:

“Mrs. Pfeiffer was 70 years old this month and until the past two months was a vigorous woman.  Cold, la grippe, pneumonia and death, followed in succession and so passed away one of the brightest and interesting matrons of the German race in this township.  It is ten years since she came to this country from Germany, accompanied by her youngest son, who died about four years since (1886) at the Sheldon residence.  Mrs. Dalton, her daughter, made the voyage to bring her to be near her children, namely herself, Mrs. Sheldon and Albert Pfeiffer.  This was in 1881. Her husband died in 1877, and four of her children also preceded her, two in Germany, and two since her residence in the Gilroy Valley (young son and then not sure who) (I count a total of 5 children at this point.).  Many friends sympathize with Mr. Miller in the loss of his sister and also the other bereaved members of the family, who naturally feel the loss of her counsel, friendship and love.”

Henry’s youngest sister, Karoline Christina Kreiser (born March 1, 1825), married a fellow German and also immigrated to the United States, with her brother’s help.  There does not seem to be any information available as to where she settled. (I have searched Ancestry, My Heritage and Geni with no results found. If you find out anything, let me know.)

______________________________________________________________________________

Waldschmidt-Nelson, Britta. “Henry Miller: The Cattle King of California.” In Immigrant Entrepreneurship: German-American Business Biographies, 1720 to Present, vol. 2, edited by William J. Hausman. German Historical Institute.  Last modified September 05, 2013.  http://www.immigrantentrepreneurship.org/entry.php?rec=153

 

I hope you have enjoyed reading about Henry Miller and his sisters.

Taco Tuesday is May 15th, at Victoria’s in Gilroy.  Hope to see you there.

Questions and comments are always welcome. Contact me;

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Gilroy Historical Society Article, April 2018

The Miller Red Barn has a new roof, thanks to your support.  Thank you!

In May 2017, Jimmy Shrull Roofing, Inc. work began to replace the roof on The Barn.  There were a number of rafters and cross beams that needed to be fixed before the new roof could be put on.  Jimmy found a company that could supply him with the rough-cut redwood pieces that were needed, the same material used in the original barn.  The roof is now completed and weather tight.

The next stage in restoring the Barn is to put it on a reinforced cement footing and replace the flooring.  At the present time the barn is sitting on a mudsill and has dirt, concrete and wood flooring.  Mudsills were common in 1891 and it was efficient.  However, the squirrels and other critters have no problem digging under them and compromising the structure. In order to make the barn fully ADA compliant, keep out the critters, and stabilize the structure, a new foundation and new flooring is required.

We are anticipating that the cost, of the next phase, will be $150,000.  Towards this end, our grant writer is diligently working on sending out proposals and the board of directors is working on plans for fundraising events.  Our next event will be a dinner on September 22, 2018 at the VFW Hall in Gilroy.  Tickets are available on our website; The Miller Red Barn (https://millerredbarn.org).

On the third Tuesday of every month, join us for Lunch or Dinner (11am to 9pm) at Victoria’s Mexican Restaurant at 757 First Street, Gilroy, CA 95020, 408-848-1052.  15% of your bill will be donated to The Miller Red Barn Restoration Fund.  At dinner we usually gather tables in the middle of the dining room and all sit together, feel free to join us.  People are usually coming and go starting about 6pm. Hope to see you there!

As a final note, The Miller Red Barn Association receives no financial support from the City of Gilroy.  If you feel that this is a worthwhile project, please donate.

If you have any questions or comments, you may reach me (Patti Perino) at; millerredbarn@outlook.com.

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Under the eaves…Volume 2 Issue 1

The new roof is up, thank you for your support.

 Some of Henry’s contemporaries said…that he was very quick and agile and had remarkably expressive features. However, he was not a man who at first glance impressed many people.  Henry was relatively short and his stature was round; he had a low forehead, brown eyes and brown hair.  While he always dressed neatly, he did not care for fashion and mostly wore simple, dark clothing.

Henry’s greatest passion was his work.  His marriage and family came second.  In the same year that Miller & Lux was founded, Henry proposed to Lux’s sister-in-law, Nancy Wilmarth Sheldon.  They were married on April 14, 1858.  Tragically thirteen months later, she died during childbirth along with the son that she carried.  Miller returned to his work and the job of amassing a fortune.

One year after his first wife’s death, while on a trip to San Francisco, he asked his deceased wife’s niece to marry him.  Being an impatient sort, Henry gave her one afternoon to make her decision.  Sarah Elizabeth Wilmarth Sheldon said yes and became the second Mrs. Henry Miller the following day, June 10, 1860.  At the time of their marriage, Sarah was twenty and Henry was thirty-two.  The couple were married for 45 years until Sarah’s death on July 21, 1905.

Not a lot is known about Sarah and Henry’s personal lives.  Most of the private correspondence and private papers were lost in the 1906 fire following the San Francisco earthquake.  The remaining papers were apparently destroyed by the Miller’s daughter-in-law, Sara Onyon Miller, shortly before her death in 1925. Sara Onyon Miller was the second wife of Henry Miller, Jr.

What is known about the family is courtesy of friends and employees.  According to all accounts, Sarah was a plain, down-to-earth woman, who was devoted to her family, left all business matters to her husband, and accepted his long absences and domineering manner without complaint.

Sarah and Henry had four children.  The first died in infancy. The second was a son, Henry Jr., born in 1862, who was followed by two daughters, Nellie Sheldon, born in 1865, and Sarah Alice, born in 1871.  Sarah and the children spend most of their time in San Francisco.  A mansion was built at the corner of Harrison and Essex in 1876 and was subsequently lost in the 1906 earthquake and fire.

The Rincon Hill Estate of Henry and Sarah Miller built in 1876.  This location probably had a view of the bay when it was built.  It is now an apartment building with no view, except for the freeway and other buildings.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________Edited by Charles Sawyer, Interviews by Ralph Milliken, One Man Show Henry Miller in the San Joaquin, (Los Banos: Ralph Milliken Museum Society, 2003)

I hoped that you enjoyed reading about Henry Miller’s family, our next edition will continue this theme and will be about Henry Miller, Jr.

Volunteers are joyfully welcomed.  Questions and comments are always welcome. Contact me

(Patti Perino) at 408-410-1495 or email at millerredbarn@outlook.com

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Under the eaves…Volume 1 Issue 8

   

 

When we last left Henry Miller and Charles Lux, they had successfully formed the foundation of their partnership…

It was fortunate that Henry Miller and Charles Lux became associated.  While each was totally different, they successfully fulfilled the needs of the partnership.  Miller was aggressive and combative when necessary.  Lux was friendly and easygoing as a rule; however, he was known as a sharp trader, land speculator, and a deal maker not opposed to skirting the law.

 In the division of the business, the outside work fell to the younger man, Miller, while the administration and city work received the attention of the older man, Lux.  Henry should have been impressed with the easy manner in which Lux was able to obtain money and credit to expand their business.  Miller disliked city life and enjoyed the rough life of the country, so he handled the general day to day operation of the business.  It is not surprising that under these circumstances that the partnership lasted for nearly thirty years without any serious differences between the two men.

Apart from their partnership, the two men had little in common, even though they were related by marriage on two occasions. Miller once said, “There is no similarity between Lux and myself—not in sympathy nor in view nor nothing.”  Henry apparently never recognized Lux’s share in the success of the partnership.  Once he was so ill mannered as to say, “I have made three fortunes.  One for myself, one for my partner, and one for my lawyers.”

I hope that you enjoyed reading about Henry Miller and Charles Lux partnership and how they were so different from one another.

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The Miller Red Barn Restoration Fund.

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Wishing you and yours a happy, health Holiday Season and a prosperous New Year.  Thank you for your support,

Patti Perino, The Miller Red Barn Association, Promotions Chair

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Under the eves…Volume 1 Issue 7 Henry Miller and Charles Lux become partners

Charles Lux had similar experiences to Millers…

They both left Germany and traveled to New York and both had worked as butchers in New York. The only difference was that Lux had arrived in California a few months earlier than Miller had. Because of the nature of the cattle business and because of the volume that the company had grown to, Miller & Lux decided that they needed to draw up an agreement. By this time, they had successfully worked together for over 15 years, but had seen what had happened to other companies when things went wrong. They wanted an agreement that would cover both of them should problems arise. On June 24, 1875 and again on May 22, 1884 they drew up an agreement that stated:

Witnessed: “Whereas, said Miller and Lux have been co-partners for many years last past, to wit: from the 6th day of October 1858 and as such co-partners have been engaged in the business of buying land and rearing, grazing, and buying and selling cattle and horses; and their co-partnership business has extended into other kinds, but generally pertained to the business above named, and they are now continuing the same and propose to go on as heretofore: and whereas their said business and property is of such character and in such condition. That whenever they may conclude to close, settle and terminate the same, several years will be necessary to do so without injury, loss, and sacrifice.
Now in view of the foregoing and in consideration of the matters and things pertaining to said business and for their mutual benefit and advantage that thereby agree to and with each other as follows:
That in the event of the death of either of the said co-partners, then the survivor shall continue to carry on the said business for joint use of himself and the estate heirs and legatee of the deceased for such period of time after the decease as he may deem necessary in order to close and settle up the business without detriment or sacrifice; provided that said time may be extended to but not beyond the period of seven years after such decease.
During the time that the surviving party shall carry on and the said business, all of the co-partnership property, real, personal and mixed, and the control, management, sale and disposition thereof shall be under the exclusive charge and dominion of the said survivor and the executers, heirs and legatees or trustees of the deceased or the trustees of any of the legatees of the deceased shall have no power or control over the same except such as may be given by the will and consent of the survivor.
The surviving partner shall have the power to hire, lease, sell and convey all of the personal property of the partnership without let or hindrance at such process and on such terms as he may see fit, and the real property of the partnership may be leased, sold and conveyed by the survivor as he may deem proper, and the executors of the deceased shall join in the conveyance.
The said surviving partner shall control and manage all said real estate during all of said seven years except such as shall be sold by him during that time. Both parties hereto agree to make proper provision in their wills to carry out this agreement.”

The above agreement proved very fortunate for Henry, and was the key to his successful business empire. As it turned out, Charles Lux died nearly thirty years before Henry Miller did. With this agreement in place, Henry was able to stave off partitioning the land for at least seven years after Lux’s death in 1887. There were many Lux heirs both in America and in Germany. Their lawyers and agents, who were anxious to represent them in any capacity, constantly harassed Henry. Miller was in lawsuits from 1887 to 1897 defending himself against the Lux heirs. If Henry declared a stock dividend from the surplus, they complained that he should have put money back into the business. If he did put money back into the business, they complained that he should declare a stock dividend. In their minds, Henry was benefiting to their great disadvantage.

On May 5, 1897 an agreement was reached and a new company was formed; Miller & Lux Divided Lands, Inc. The new company began with a capital stock of twelve million dollars and was to be operated for fifty years, with the purpose of acquiring all the property and assets of the late, firm of Miller & Lux. The Secretary of State certified the agreement. By this agreement, Henry now own fifty percent of the company’s stock and the Lux heirs held the other fifty percent. As the years went by, Henry bought out the Lux heirs and by 1916, the year of his death, he had virtually become the sole owner of Miller & Lux Divided Lands, Inc.
1Edited by Charles Sawyer, Interviews by Ralph Milliken, One Man Show Henry Miller in the San Joaquin, (Los Banos: Ralph Milliken Museum Society, 2003)

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Under the eves…Volume 1 Issue 6 Henry Miller meets Charles Lux

When we last left Henry…

He had started his wholesale (meat) business on Jackson Street between Dupont and Kearny.

A break came for Henry when he met John Center and was asked to kill some hogs. Center had purchased some hogs and some steers from the Sandwich Islands. Henry Lux was hired to kill them, but Lux could only kill 6 or 7 per day. Center wanted the hogs killed as soon as possible because he was out of feed. Center was involved in many aspects of San Francisco; he had many men working for him and had a restaurant. He hired Henry to kill the hogs and provided him with a mule to ride to the Mission area where the hogs were. In three days, Henry had killed and dressed over 100 hogs. Center was so impressed that he offered to set Henry up in a bigger shop. Henry declined because he did not know the man well and wanted to be his own boss.

For two years, Henry built up his business step by step. By 1853, he had a small slaughterhouse on the corner of Fifth and Howard streets. At that time, he decided to take on a partner Zimmerman. Henry was no longer able to do all of the work himself, so Zimmerman worked the shop and ran the business. Zimmerman lasted about a year; then Henry took on a younger man named Westir. Again, Westir lasted about a year. This seemed to be the length of time that the men needed to get their start. The next person to work with Henry was Joseph Lawler. That summer, they purchased a large lot of Spanish cattle. The cattle were pastured at Guadalupe Valley, and the cattle would be driven to San Francisco in small batches.

By carefully building his wholesale business, Henry Miller had turned the initial $150 investment into an enterprise worth several thousand dollars in two short years. During this time, he had established himself as a wholesaler and master butcher. Later in 1853, he and Lawler purchased a herd of 300 prime cattle from Livingston & Kincaid. The price was $33,000, more than any other butcher could pay. This was the first herd of prime American cattle driven into San Francisco and the beginning of crowding out the tougher meat of the Mexican cattle.

In 1857, Henry Miller purchased another herd of cattle with Charles Lux. Charles knew Miller through the unsuccessful hog butcher, his own brother Henry Lux. The herd was purchased from a man named Erskin, who had driven them from Texas. Erskin was in a hurry to return to Texas, so he turned the approximately 2,000 head loose in the Pacheco Pass area while he negotiated the sale. When Miller & Lux arrived to inspect the herd, there were only 1,500 – 1,600 head left. Miller and Lux decided to buy the herd for $67.50 per head. Each man put in half of the money and received half of the profits when the cattle were sold.

Many people think that this was the start of the famous partnership, but that is incorrect. Lux’s wife was from Rhode Island and she wanted to move back. Late in 1858, the Lux’s decided to go east. One year later in late September, Lux was back in San Francisco and got in touch with Henry. By October 5, they had agreed to purchase 2,000 head of cattle from Thomas Dias and pasture them on rented land in Milpitas. This was the business deal that founded the co-partnership of Miller & Lux.

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Under the eves..Volume 1 Issue 5 Henry Miller starts his wholesale business

Henry had just arrived in San Francisco…

It was rough and expensive. The question for Henry at this point was what to do. He had planned to go to the gold fields and make his fortune. However, he could not afford the tools for gold panning. Remember that a shovel was $15-$25, a tin pan was $20, a pair of boots was at least $40, and Henry only had $6 dollars when he arrived. Henry was not dumb. Having experienced the hardships of getting to California and, on landing seeing the price of food and land. Henry realized that if he were going to make his fortune it would not be by panning for gold.

On Henry’s first day in San Francisco, he left the ship and set out to find a job. “I asks a man where is a butcher shop,” he later stated. The man pointed to a shack on a hill near where California and Kearney Streets are today. “I finds a man sitting on a box in front of a lean- to. Flies were buzzing around him. He was reading a newspaper, which had come on the boat. He took no notice of me, so I coughed. When he looked over the top of the papers I says, “I just come on the boat; I am a butcher and wants a job.” He refused Henry, and Henry moved on. Later that day he took a job washing dishes. He had his start.

Henry did not wash dishes very long, and he soon knew the city. He met a man named Edward Barron, who had a butcher shop at the head of Dupont Street (Grant Avenue today). Henry was immediately employed butchering sheep for Barron. He again worked for small wages, as he had in New York, and, to save the price of a room, he slept behind the slaughterhouse. He did his own cooking from the scraps. On occasion, he would splurge and eat at a Chinese restaurant. There, he could get a steak, potato and a cup of coffee for a dollar.

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Under the eves…Volume 1 Issue 4 Henry Miller arrives in San Francisco

 

When we left Henry last…

he was lamenting that he had gotten the fever and missed all the money that he could have made in Panama City.

In August of 1850, ships began to arrive in Panama City. Henry, along with 1500 other passengers, boarded the steamer Republic. After 26 days, the Republic steamed into San Francisco Bay on September 24, 1850. Henry landed with his gold watch, clothes, a walking stick and $6 American dollars.

Tents covered San Francisco in 1850 when Henry landed. Fifteen years prior, there had not been a tent in sight. The three “roads” were more like rutted pathways. There was no government, no law and no order. The citizens consisted of gold miners, gamblers, harlots, politicians and other exploiters of humankind. In 1848, a census showed a population of 700. Whites numbered 350; Indians, Negroes or Sandwich Islanders made up 150, and the balance were Mexicans. The census also stated that there were 200 buildings (including tents, outhouses and sheds).

There is a famous quotation about San Francisco’s streets at that time: “This street is impassable, not even jackassable.” The streets had never been graded and were often seas of mud, one side being 10 to 15 feet higher than the other. In the winters of 1849 and 1850, many animals and people actual drowned in the mud.

There where no wooden boarding houses or hotels in San Francisco in the 1850’s. Wood was not nearby and tents were few for the influx of people. Many people lived under the open sky. If you were able to find a bunk or tent to sleep in, it could cost as high as $15 per night. Many were charged $8 per hour to sleep on a plank or table. The prices of goods and services kept even with sleeping accommodations: clothes washing was $20 per dozen pieces, apples went for $5 each and eggs went for up to $50 per dozen. Gold miners’ tools ran $15-$25 for a shovel, a gold pan ran $20, a pair of boots was no less than $40, and any kind of medicine was at the least $10 a dose while laudanum sold for $1 a drop.

On September 9, 1850, California was admitted to the Union. In October of 1850, a cholera epidemic broke out. Henry Miller had come to San Francisco in these were rough and ready times.
Henry’s story up to this point is not any different from any other immigrant that came to California’s golden shores. However, Miller was a young man who could and would take advantage of any opportunity that presented itself. What he made out of that opportunity is what made him one of the biggest cattle barons and landowners in America.

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CONTACT

The Miller Red Barn Association
777 First Street, PMB-159
Gilroy, CA 95020
millerredbarn@outlook.com

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