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Miller Brothers, Inc. Records, 1894-1966

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Miller Brothers, Inc.
Title
Miller Brothers, Inc. Records
Dates
1894-1966 (inclusive)
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.
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Historical Note

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.

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Content Description

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.

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Use of the Collection

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.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

Arranged by subgroup and series.

Location of Collection

6:3-2

Acquisition 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).

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection

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.)

Finding aid prepared by MHS staff
2004

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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