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thumb Henry Miller (July 21, 1827 in Brackenheim – October 14, 1916 in California) was a German-American rancher who at one point in the late 19th century was one of the largest land-owners in the United States. ==Biography== Born in Germany as Heinrich Alfred Kreiser, he immigrated to New York City in 1846, where he worked as a butcher. He came out to California in 1850 under the name Henry Miller, a name borrowed from the non-transferable steamer ticket he had purchased from a friend in New York. Miller built up a thriving butcher business in San Francisco, later going into partnership with Charles Lux, also a German immigrant and a former competitor, in 1858. The Miller and Lux company expanded rapidly, shifting emphasis from meat products to cattle raising, and soon became the largest producer of cattle in California and one of the largest landowners in the United States, owning directly and controlling nearly of cattle and farm land in California, Nevada, and Oregon.〔Igler, David. (2001) ''Industrial Cowboys: Miller & Lux and the Transformation of the Far West, 1850-1920''. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press〕 The Miller and Lux Corporation was headquartered in Los Banos, on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley. Miller played a major role in the development of much of the San Joaquin Valley during the late 19th century and early 20th century. His role in maintaining and managing his corporate farming empire illustrates the growing trend of industrial barons during the Gilded Age. His detailed correspondences with Superintendent Turner reflects his micromanagement business style and underscores the lack of autonomy of rural farmers in the region. Miller persistently corresponded with his subordinates in order verify that all the cattle met his standards before being sold. The correspondences demonstrate his attention to detail, especially in regards to the weather conditions and the amount of food and water the ranches contained. 〔Henry Miller Papers Collection, "Correspondance to Superintendent Turner," 18 July 1912, Special Collections, Henry Madden Library, California State University, Fresno 〕 In 1910, his upstream water rights to the San Joaquin River, which crossed much of the company's land, were acquired by the Big Creek Hydroelectric Project; the project's planned reservoir storage of snowmelt would greatly reduce flooding and increase river flow during the dry season. At the time of his death, Miller's estate was appraised at some US$40 million dollars, somewhat less than during his prime.〔Taper, Bernard. (The King of Ranchers ) American Heritage Magazine. August 1967, 18(5)〕 The Miller and Lux Corporation did not long survive his death, though his grandson George Nickel reorganized the holdings and became a large farmer and land developer. Some of his descendants continue to farm in the area around Los Banos and to operate as farmers and land developers in Bakersfield and Kern County.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Kern County a hub of the water trade )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Henry Miller (rancher)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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