Frank F. Latta collection of Miller & Lux records, 1858-1939

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Summary

Abstract:
This collection contains business records and correspondence of Miller & Lux, the largest producer of cattle in California and one of the largest landowners in the American West, with materials dating from the company's founding in 1858 to the 1930s. The materials were collected by Kern County Museum director Frank F. Latta (1892-1983).
Extent:
344.75 Linear Feet (247 boxes, 233 volumes, and 51 oversize folders)
Language:
English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Frank F. Latta Collection: Miller & Lux Records, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains the business records and correspondence belonging to Miller & Lux. It consists of letters, both incoming and outgoing, financial and business records (cash books, journals, ledgers, etc.) and maps all related to Miller and Lux, their businesses, and their land. The materials were collected by Kern County Museum director Frank F. Latta (1892-1983), who spent five decades researching the history and development of California's San Joaquin Valley and Miller & Lux

Several hundred boxes of materials are uncataloged. For more information, please contact Reader Services.

Biographical / historical:

Henry Miller (1827-1916) and Charles Lux (1823-1887), both German immigrants, partnered in 1858 and created the Miller & Lux Company, headquartered in Los Banos in the San Joaquin Valley. The company was one of the creators of agribusiness in California. Miller & Lux became the largest producer of cattle in California and one of the largest landowners in the United States, owning land in California, Nevada, and Oregon. The company also operated meatpacking plants in San Francisco. Following Miller's death in 1916, the company declined; by the 1930s most of its property had been sold. Miller & Lux formally dissolved in 1964.

Acquisition information:
Purchased from Latta Family Trust, October 1987.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.

NOT AVAILABLE: Boxes 56-247 and volumes 186-233 are unprocessed and unavailable for paging until processed. Please contact Reader Services for more information.

Terms of access:

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Frank F. Latta Collection: Miller & Lux Records, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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