Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Miller Brothers, Inc. Records, 1894-1966
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Miller Brothers, Inc.
- Title
- Miller Brothers, Inc. Records
- Dates
- 1894-1966 (inclusive)18941966
- Quantity
- 6 linear feet of shelf space
- Collection Number
- MC 121 (collection)
- Summary
- Miller Brothers, Inc. was a Chinook, Cleveland, and Lloyd, Montana, sheep and cattle ranch operated by Henry G. Miller, his brother Chris D. Miller, and G.T. "Ted" Westin, son-in-law of Chris Miller. Records (1894-1966) include general correspondence, court papers, legal documents, and financial records documenting the operation of the ranch; and materials on the First National Bank of Chinook, which the Millers helped organize in 1909.
- Repository
-
Montana Historical Society, Library & Archives
Montana Historical Society Research Center Archives
225 North Roberts
PO Box 201201
Helena MT
59620-1201
Telephone: 4064442681
Fax: 4064445297
mhslibrary@mt.gov - Access Restrictions
-
Collection open for research.
- Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Historical NoteReturn to Top
In 1890, Peter Miller (born 1848) traveled from Crawford County, Iowa to Montana and purchased 160 acres of land in the Bear Paw Mountains area, creating the nucleus of what was to become one of the largest ranches in the state. Miller, a German immigrant, was joined in partnership by his two sons, Henry George (born 1875) and Christopher D. (born 1877), the name Miller Brothers being chosen for their ranching business. Both sons were born in Iowa, near Dennison, and a close tie was maintained to the Miller (or Moeller) family which remained there. When Peter Miller retired and left the ranch operation in the hands of his sons, he returned to Iowa to live out his life. At the same time the Millers moved west, another family from Dennison, the Jurgen Kuhrs, came to settle in the Bear Paw area as their neighbors. Chris Miller was eventually to marry Carolyn Kuhr, thereby joining the land holdings of the two families. In later years, the Miller Brothers were assisted in the operation of the ranch by G. Ted Westin, who was married to Chris Miller's daughter, Lillian. Originally, Miller Brothers, Inc. was solely concerned with the production of sheep and wool, at one time maintaining five lambing camps. At its peak in the 1930s, the ranch operated nearly 345,000 acres (127,000 acres deeded land and 218,000 acres leased property) stretching from the Canadian border south for 75 miles. Due primarily to the poor market and labor difficulties involved in sheep raising, the Millers turned to the production of cattle. Finally in 1957, all sheep were sold and the business became exclusively a cattle ranch, all stock wearing the E Bar Y brand. Throughout the years, the company used the towns of Lloyd, Chinook and Cleveland on its letterhead for a mailing address. George and Chris Miller were active in the agricultural and economic development of Blaine and Chouteau Counties. They were involved in the formation of grazing districts, were members of state, national and local groups promoting livestock markets and production, and helped to organize the First National Bank of Chinook. This banking house served the area from 1909 until 193o when the assets were sold to the town's Farmers National Bank. Retirement came for the Miller Brothers in 1958 after 65 years of operation. At that time, the ranch, including 9,000 head of cattle, was sold to Wellington Rankin, who in turn sold the business for $3,000,000 to a syndicate. Henry and Chris remained in the Chinook area until their deaths in 1961 and 1968 respectively.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
This collection contains general correspondence, clippings, court records, legal documents, organizational materials, subject files, miscellany and financial records documenting the operation of Miller Brothers, Inc. A separate subgroup was created for the records of the First National Bank of Chinook containing general correspondence, financial records, legal documents and organizational materials for the years 1909-1931. The early years of the financial records of Miller Brothers are in an informal form, but offer substantial documentation concerning livestock prices, wool prices, shearing statistics, herd sizes and employee costs. The folders entitled "Livestock Sales" contain not only financial records, but also correspondence regarding shipments, etc. These were filed together when received and that arrangement was not altered during processing.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of the Montana Historical Society. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collection. In some cases permission for use may require additional authorization from the copyright owners. For more information contact an archivist.
Preferred Citation
Item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers. Montana Historical Society Research Center, Archives, Helena, Montana.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
Arranged by subgroup and series.
Location of Collection
6:3-2Acquisition Information
Acquisition information available upon request
Related Materials
For additional information on the Miller Brothers, see Small Collection 1515 which contains an oral history transcript of an interview done with Erwin Miller (Henry's son) and Lillian Miller Westin (Chris' daughter).
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection
Miller Brothers, Inc. Subgroup Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
General Correspondence |
||
Box/Folder | ||
1 / 1 | Chronological (correspondents include A.J. Blakely;
I.O.O.F., Bear Paw Lodge No. 55; Idaho Cotswold Ranch; Butterfield Livestock
Company; John C. Duff; South St. Paul Commission Company; Chinook Public Schools) |
1899-1917 |
1 / 2 | Chronological (correspondents include J.W. Miller,
Jr.; Commissioner of Internal Revenue; Blaine County; Jeremiah Williams and Company;
Montana Wool Growers Association; Bogy Mercantile Company; Rosenbaum Brothers and
Company; Chris D. Miller; Minnesota State Prison; F.A. Buttrey Company; Independence
Consolidated Mines Company; Henry J. Moeller; C.R. Garner and Company; Hood Labor
Office; J.B. Sedberry Inc.; Leonard Custom Tailors Company; Mrs. J.N. Gloyne; John
K. Madsen; Great Falls National Bank; Huntsberger-Givens Company; Green Valley Stock
Farm; L.P. Work and Company; Arctic Fur Company; Edwin W. Spalding; Omaha Tanning
Company; Thomas J. Smith; Harold Walters) |
1920-1929 |
1 / 3 | Chronological (correspondents include R. Montague
Bickle; Mrs. Henry Hofeldt; Cascade Labor Office; Edwin W. Spalding; John Turcotte;
C.F. Kreymborg; Bogy Mercantile Company; Williams and Pauly; Modern Woodmen of
America; Moses Carry Water; Great Western Sheep and Wool Company; State Nursery and
Seed Company; Niagara Fire Insurance Company; Montana Life Insurance Company; Rocky
Mountain Fire Insurance Company; D.J. Sias; Gilbert C. Boles; Mrs. G.W. Davidson;
Chris D. Miller; Chinook Lumber Company; Bemis Brothers Bag Company; Hill County
State Bank; T.H. Schluter; Co-Operative Extension Work in Agriculture and Home
Economics; Commercial Bank; John Clay and Company; Conklin Brothers Commission
Company; J.S. Bocock and Sons; E.B. Duncan; Burton K. Wheeler; A.F. Lamey) |
1930-1935 |
1 / 4 | Chronological (correspondents include Emma B. Fry;
George P. Arnold; John Levik; Crandells Prize Sheep Farms; Mary Olsen; Northwestern
Mortgage Company; P.H. Gulden; E.B. Smith) |
1936-1939 |
1 / 5 | Chronological (correspondents include Oliver Z.
Roe; Becker Hereford Ranch, Wilsall, Montana; Thompson's Anxiety Herefords; C.H.
Perry; Anna Sullivan; George L. Morris; C-K Cattle Ranch; Gella Angson; Mary A.
Pauly; Fordik and Turner;) |
1940-1949 |
1 / 6 | Chronological (correspondents include The Farmers
National Bank in Chinook; Montana Deaconess Hospital; Hill County Electric
Co-operative; Edwin Oberndorfer; National Titanium Company; Pan American Petroleum
Corporation; Farmers Union Oil Company; Erwin P. Miller) |
1951-1966 |
1 / 6 | Chronological (correspondents include The Farmers
National Bank in Chinook; Montana Deaconess Hospital; Hill County Electric
Co-operative; Edwin Oberndorfer; National Titanium Company; Pan American Petroleum
Corporation; Farmers Union Oil Company; Erwin P. Miller) |
1951-1966 |
1 / 7 | Undated (correspondents include John Sweeten; Bill
Boardman; Anson McConnell; John W. Williams; American Sheep Breeder and Wool Grower;
Adams Paint Company) |
undated |
1 / 8 | Ted Westin letterbox, A-C (correspondents include
John Ackerman; Katherine Akre; Benner and Brown; George Benson; Blaine County; Frank
Blery; Lottie Bodner; George H. Campbell; Campbell Coal Company; Capital Trust and
Savings Bank) |
1933-1937 |
1 / 9 | Ted Westin letterbox, D-L (correspondents include
R.J. Douglas; First National Bank of Negaunee, Michigan; First State Bank of Zurich;
Catherine Halleran; Ira S. Harbolt; W.I. Hoover; Investors' Service Corporation;
M.J. Kamrud; H.D. Kearns; W.J. Loomis; Melvin Lundberg) |
1933-1937 |
1 / 10 | Ted Westin letterbox, M-R (correspondents include
C.W. Moore; Northwestern Mortgage Company; Alton Olson; Arvey Ramberg) |
1933-1937 |
2 / 1 | Ted Westin letterbox S-W |
1933-1937 |
2 / 1 | Ted Westin letterbox, S-W (correspondents include
Peter Schaak; Albert Scherer; Security State Bank; John R. Siebrasse; Gladys M.
Smith; Glenn Smithson; Mabel Stensing; Charles A. Straight; B.F. Tauffest, united
States Bureau of Reclamation; John J. Wagner; Elsie Westlund; Esther Wiggin) |
1933-1937 |
2 / 2 | Ted Westin miscellaneous |
1945-1951 |
Interoffice Correspondence |
||
Box/Folder | ||
2 / 3 | Henry Miller to Chris Miller |
1910 |
Clippings |
||
Box/Folder | ||
2 / 4 | Livestock, prices, etc. |
1913-1941 undated |
Court Papers |
||
Box/Folder | ||
2 / 5 | Miscellaneous (includes ) |
1910-1957 |
Financial Records |
||
Volume | ||
Vol. 1 | Account book and farm record |
1899-1939 |
Box/Folder | ||
2 / 6-8 | Account ledgers |
1898-1912 |
3 / 1 | Account ledger/journal - Gus Hansen, foreman |
1901-1911 |
3 / 2-3 | Account ledgers |
1912-1929 |
3 / 4 | Account notebook (employees, Shearing) |
1901-1904 |
3 / 5 | Account notebook (employees) |
1906-1907 |
4 / 1 | Account notebook (employees, miscellaneous) |
1907 |
4 / 2 | Account notebook (employees, shearing) |
1915 1918-1923 |
4 / 3 | Account notebook (shearing, etc.) |
1919 1923-1926 |
4 / 4 | Account notebooks (shearing, wool shipments) |
1927-1930 |
4 / 5 | Account notebook (employees, shearing) |
1929-1930 |
4 / 6-7 | Account notebooks (bank transactions) |
1919-1920 |
4 / 8 | Account notebooks (time book; stock sales) |
1939,1948 |
5 / 1 | Audit reports |
1928-1929, 1932, 1945 |
5 / 2 | Bank account: Bank of America (California) |
1959-1960 |
5 / 3 | Bank account: Commercial Bank (Iowa) |
1920-1930 |
5 / 4-5 | Bank account: Farmers National Bank in Chinook |
1942-1958 |
5 / 6 | Bank account: First National Bank of Chinook |
1918, 1923-1925 |
5 / 7 | Bank account: Montana National Bank, Havre |
undated |
5 / 8 | Bank account: Stock Yard National Bank, St. Paul |
1924 |
5 / 9 | Blaine County assessment rolls |
1920, 1927 |
5 / 10 | Chinook Sewer District warrant |
1920 |
5 / 11 | Day book #10 |
1900-1901 |
Volume | ||
Vol. 2 | Day book |
1911-1918 |
Box/Folder | ||
6 / 1 | Expense journal |
1929-1930 |
6 / 2 | Insurance |
1902-1964 |
6 / 3 | Leases held |
undated |
6 / 4 | Livestock purchases: cattle and horses |
1900-1935, undated |
7 / 1-10 | Livestock sales: sheep |
1908-1930 |
8 / 1-7 | Livestock sales: sheep |
1932-1945, undated |
8 / 8-10 | Livestock sales: cattle |
1905-1954, undated |
8 / 11 | Livestock sales - sheep and cattle |
1943-1946 |
8 / 12 | Livestock sales - wool |
1900-1916 |
9 / 1-3 | Livestock sales - wool |
1920-1955 |
9 / 4 | Loan to First National Bank of Chinook |
1930 |
9 / 5 | Notes |
1916-1920 |
9 / 6 | Payroll |
undated |
9 / 7 | Receipts and bills |
1900-1962 |
9 / 8-9 | Statements |
1908-1955 |
9 / 10-11 | Taxes - Blaine County |
1912-1964 |
9 / 12 | Taxes - Chouteau County |
1901, 1908-1910 |
9 / 13 | Taxes - Federal |
1919, 1930 1958-1961 |
9 / 14 | Taxes - Land and improvements assessments |
undated |
10 / 1 | Miscellaneous |
1899-1949, undated |
Legal Documents |
||
Box/Folder | ||
10 / 2 | Abstract of title |
1956 |
10 / 3 | Contracts to run sheep |
1902-1930 |
10 / 4 | Leases |
1903-1942 |
10 / 5 | Miscellaneous |
1894-1955 |
Organizational Records |
||
Box/Folder | ||
10 / 6 | Directors' meetings |
1950 |
Subject Files |
||
Box/Folder | ||
10 / 7 | A.J. Aarsand estate |
1953 |
10 / 8 | Beets (production, use as steer feed) |
1929-1935 |
10 / 9 | Blaine County Agricultural Conservation Program |
1948 |
10 / 10 | Coal Creek, Cherry Ridge Cooperative State Grazing
Districts |
1940, 1958 |
10 / 11 | Commercial Bank of Dennison, Iowa |
1919-1930 |
10 / 12 | Farmers National Bank in Chinook |
1949-1958 |
10 / 13 | Federal Land Bank of Spokane |
1919-1936 |
10 / 14 | Fort Belknap Indian Reservation (grazing rights) |
1910-1948 |
10 / 15 | Hay and alfalfa |
1930, 1962, undated |
10 / 16 | Intermountain Livestock Marketing Association |
1930-1931, undated |
10 / 17 | Kuhr Land and Livestock Company |
1933-1938 |
10 / 18 | Mid-West Live Stock Commission Company |
1929-1932 |
10 / 19 | Milk River Valley Fair and Racing Association |
1913, undated |
10 / 20 | Montana Livestock Finance Corporation |
1929 |
10 / 21 | Montana Livestock Marketing Association |
1932 |
10 / 22 | Montana National Bank of Havre |
1930 |
11 / 1 | Montana Wool Growers Association |
1911-1932 |
11 / 2 | Mortgage loans assumed - Herman Menscher |
1913-1924 |
11 / 3 | Mortgage loans assumed - Ole J. Oleson |
1917-1918 |
11 / 4 | Mortgage loans assumed - Otto L. Pennington |
1918-1924 |
11 / 5 | Mortgage loans assumed - Miscellaneous |
1913-1929 |
11 / 6 | National Farm loan Association (re leases) |
1937-1941 |
11 / 7 | National Wool Marketing Association |
1931-1932 |
11 / 8 | Range and feed information |
1931 |
11 / 9 | Sale of ranch to David S. Ring |
1955-1959 |
11 / 10 | Stock exchange investments A - J |
1910-1963 |
11 / 11 | Stock exchange investments L - W |
1910-1963 |
11 / 12 | United States Department of Agriculture
publications Sheep industry in Montana |
1928-1948 |
11 / 13 | United States General Land Office (grazing permits,
receipts, assignments, applications, etc.) |
1901-1941 |
Miscellany |
||
Box/Folder | ||
12 / 1 | Advertisements - livestock and equipment |
undated |
12 / 2 | Brands (recorded) |
1921-1941 |
12 / 3 | Cattle Certificates of Entry - American
Aberdeen-Angus Breeders' Association |
1916, 1951, 1956 |
12 / 4 | Cattle Certificates of Entry - American Hereford
Association |
1924-1946 |
12 / 5 | Cattle Certificates of Entry - American Hereford
Association |
1948-1958 |
12 / 6 | Cattle Certificates of Entry - American Polled
Hereford Association |
1950 |
12 / 7 | Cattle genealogy |
undated |
12 / 8 | Farmers' year book (pocket ledger, information) |
1950, undated |
12 / 9 | Inspection certificates; quarantine order; etc. |
1928, 1950 1957 |
12 / 10 | Livestock tallies/branding tallies |
1961-1963, undated |
12 / 11 | New Training Systems textbooks (accounting) |
undated |
13 / 1 | Plats - Blaine and Chouteau Counties (with index) |
undated |
13 / 2 | Plats - miscellaneous |
undated |
13 / 3 | Miscellaneous (certificates, awards, notes, etc.) |
1902-1943 undated |
First National Bank Of Chinook Subgroup Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
General Correspondence |
||
Box/Folder | ||
13 / 4 | Miscellaneous |
1921-1930 |
Financial Records |
||
Box/Folder | ||
13 / 5 | Dan F. Truax mortgage |
1916, 1922 |
13 / 6 | Insurance |
1920-1929 |
13 / 7 | Stocks owned |
1912-1916 |
13 / 8 | Miscellaneous |
1909-1930 |
Legal Documents |
||
Box/Folder | ||
13 / 9 | Miscellaneous |
1917-1931 |
Organizational Records |
||
Box/Folder | ||
13 / 10 | Articles of association; Comptroller certificates |
1921-1922 |
14 / 1 | Stock certificate book |
1909-1921 |
14 / 2 | Stock ledger |
1909-1928 |
14 / 3 | Stock certificates; proxies |
1909-1927 1930 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Farm tenancy
- Grazing districts
- Land companies
- Ranches
- Ranches--Montana
- Sheep ranches--Montana
- Wool industry
Corporate Names
- Miller Brothers, Inc. (creator)
Geographical Names
- Blaine County (Mont.)
- Blaine County (Mont.)--Politics and government
- Chinook (Mont.)
- Chinook (Mont.)--Commerce
- Cleveland (Mont.)
- Fort Belknap Indian Reservation (Mont.)
- Havre (Mont.)--Commerce
- Lloyd (Mont.)