Description
The Waring Miller & Lux Collection consists of Stanislaus County
Recorder, Richard Waring's notes on Henry Miller and Charles Lux together with
a copy of the Decree of Distribution of their estate (1900).
Background
Richard Waring served as Stanislaus (Calif.) County Recorder
(1931-1965). In this post, Waring was able to study at first hand documents
relating to the land acquisitions of 19th c. cattle barons, Charles Lux
(1823-1887) and Henry Miller (1827-1916). Miller was the last surviving partner
in the firm of Miller & Lux, which once owned the greater part of the San
Joaquin Valley, as well as lands in Oregon and Nevada. Lux and Miller were
German immigrants who first worked together as San Francisco butchers during
the 1850s. For many years the two purchased cattle lands in the Central Valley,
acquiring many of these acres from U.S. Army veterans and others who preferred
cash to land options, until, with 1.4 million acres, they had become the
state's largest landowners. After the firm was dissolved (1900), attorneys for
the estate had the record of the distribution of the firm's property published
in a single volume and distributed to county recorders throughout California.
Richard Waring had this volume microfilmed and gave the original hardcopy to
the University of the Pacific. Waring also donated materials he had gathered on
Henry Miller and Charles Lux.