Industrial Cowboys: Miller & Lux and the Transformation of the Far West, 1850-1920

284 Pages·2001·3.01 MB·English

by  David Igler

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Industrial Cowboys
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Industrial
Cowboys
Miller & Lux and the
Transformation of the Far West,
1850–1920
David Igler
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS
Berkeley · Los Angeles · London
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University of California Press
Berkeley and Los Angeles, California
University of California Press, Ltd.
London, England
© 2001 by
The Regents of the University of California
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Igler, David, 1964–.
Industrial Cowboys : Miller & Lux and the
transformation of the Far West, 1850–1920 /
David Igler.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-520-22658-5 (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Miller & Lux—History. 2. Cattle trade—
West (U.S.)—History. 3. Animal industry—
West (U.S.)—History. 4. Packinghouses—West
(U.S.)—History. 5. Land use—West (U.S.)—
History. 6. Water rights—West (U.S.)—His-
tory. 7. Big business—West (U.S.)—History.
8. Industrialization—West (U.S.)—History.
I. Title.
HD9433.U52 M554 2001
333.76'0978—dc21 00-055171
Printed in the United States of America
10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
The paper used in this publication meets the mini-
mum requirements of ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992
(R 1997) (Permanence of Paper).
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For my parents, Ralph and Lynne Igler
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Contents
List of Illustrations ix
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction: Industrial Cowboys in the Far West 1
1. The San Joaquin Valley: Landscape, History,
and Memory 19
2. Laying the Foundation: San Francisco Networks
and Hinterland Property 35
3. Privatizing the San Joaquin Landscape in the 1870s 60
4. Lux v. Haggin: Reclaiming the San Joaquin
from Nature 92
5. Laboring on the Land 122
6. Confronting New Environments
at the Century’s Turn 147
Conclusion: Unreconstructed Cowboys
in an Industrial Nation 179
Notes 185
Bibliography 235
Index 255
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Illustrations
FIGURES
1. Haying at Buena Vista Farm 2
2. Charles Lux 14
3. Henry Miller 15
4. Diseño of Rancho Sanjon de Santa Rita 54
5. Diagram of “check” irrigation system 100
6. Rabbit drivers surrounding their kill 116
7 and 8. Tule elk roundup 118
9. Ah Jim, Chinese cook 132
10. American Cattle Trust multinational interests 162
11. Leaders of the Butchers’ Board of Trade 163
12. The money-grubbing meat octopus 164
13. The threat of “embalmed” beef 165
14. Butchertown after the 1906 earthquake 166
MAPS
1. Miller & Lux landownership 6
2. Miller & Lux’s Mexican land grant acquisitions 37
3. San Joaquin and King’s River Canal, 1873 76
4. San Joaquin and King’s River Canal, 1890s 77
5. Lux v. Haggin evidence map for the defendants, 1884 106
6. Lux v. Haggin evidence map for the plaintiffs, 1884 107
ix