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Joaquin Miller and Juanita Miller correspondence, 1888-1961.
MANUSCRIPT3748
Collection Overview

Title:

Joaquin Miller and Juanita Miller correspondence, 1888-1961
Miller, Joaquin and Juanita

Creator/Contributor:

Miller, Joaquin, 1841-1913, creator

Creator/Contributor:

Miller, Juanita Joaquina, 1880-1970.

Creator/Contributor:

Miller, Abigail Leland.

Creator/Contributor:

Ferguson, Milton J. (Milton James), 1879-1954.

Abstract:

Correspondence written by and about Joaquin Miller and his daughter Juanita Miller.

Date:

1888 (issued)

Subject:

n-us-ca
Poetry
Correspondence

Note:

Joaquin Miller, the "Poet of the Sierras," was born Cincinnatus Hiner (or Heine) Miller near Liberty, Indiana on September 8, 1837 (although some accounts of the actual date and year differ). He came to California during the Gold Rush and engaged in mining, lived with Native Americans in the northern part of the state, and moved to Oregon where he became a newspaper editor. He began writing poetry during this period, and moved to San Francisco in 1870 where he was supposedly named "Joaquin" by Ina Coolbrith (again, accounts differ). There he also befriended Charles Warren Stoddard and Ambrose Bierce. Miller traveled to England in 1871 and to the Yukon in 1897. He and his poetry were perhaps celebrated more in England than the United States, although this may derive largely from the image he created of himself. Joaquin Miller died at "The Hights," his estate in Oakland, California, on February 17, 1913.
Juanita Joaquina Miller was born in New York on January 1, 1880, daughter of Joaquin Miller and his third wife (or second, depending on how one looks at it) Abigail. A few years later her parents separated and she stayed on the East Coast with her mother. She studied music, literature, and art needlework, eventually embarking on a career in music. At age 31 Juanita went to live with her father at his Oakland estate, where she stayed past his death and lived for the rest of her life. After two failed marriages Juanita continued teaching piano and music, studying dance, reading palms, and operating a small souvenir shop. She deeded her father's estate to the city of Oakland while she and her mother continued to live there. In the 1930s she lobbied the WPA to build a performance amphitheatre in what was now called Joaquin Miller Park. Juanita Miller died on April 9, 1970.
Miller, Joaquin and Juanita.
Inventory available in library; folder level control.
Unrestricted. Please credit California State Library.

Physical Description:

print
1 manuscript box; 16 1/2 x 13 x 3 1/2 in.

Language:

English

Identifier:

Origin:

California

Copyright Note:

Unrestricted. Please credit California State Library.