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Latta (Frank F.) Collection of Miller & Lux Records
mssLattaML
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Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Frank F. Latta collection of Miller & Lux records
Identifier/Call Number: mssLattaML
Physical Description:
344.75 Linear Feet
(247 boxes, 233 volumes, and 51 oversize folders)
Date (inclusive): 1858-1939
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).
Language of Material: English.
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.
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.
[Identification of item]. Frank F. Latta Collection: Miller & Lux Records, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased from Latta Family Trust, October 1987.
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.
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.
The Huntington Library also has a collection of material also collected by Frank F. Latta about farming and agriculture in
California that also came from the Latta Family Trust: mssLattaSkyfarming.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Agriculture -- California
Cattle -- California
Cattle trade -- West (U.S) -- History -- Sources
Farmers -- California
Ranchers -- California -- Archives
Ranches -- California
Real property -- California
Bakersfield (Calif.)
California -- History -- 19th century -- Sources
California -- History -- 20th century -- Sources
Fresno (Calif.)
Kern County (Calif.)
Los Banos (Calif.)
Merced (Calif.)
San Francisco (Calif.)
San Joaquin Valley (Calif.) -- Description and travel
Business records -- California
Financial records -- California
Letters (correspondence) -- California
Maps (documents) -- California