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“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Near Gilroy in Santa Clara County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
 

The Miller Estate

Traces of history fade as the forest restores itself on Mt. Madonna

 
 
The Miller Estate Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, March 30, 2012
1. The Miller Estate Marker
[Photo captions:]
Henry Miller [top center]
View from Mt. Madonna [bottom left]
Miller Estate Bungalow [bottom center]
Camp Pine Cone [bottom right].
Inscription.
Henry Miller, “The Cattle King”
With only $6 in his pocket, German immigrant Henry Miller (birth name Heinrich Alfred Kreiser) stepped off the boat in San Francisco in 1850 with one pervading ambition – to labor hard at a business in America. He knew the trade of raising and butchering cattle, so chose ranching.

At the peak of his ranching career, Miller controlled 14.5 million acres of land in California, Oregon and Nevada, where he grazed a million head of cattle and more than a hundred thousand sheep. Along with numerous businesses, ranch estates and a mansion in San Francisco, Mr. Miller owned a summer estate on Mt. Madonna.

Summers on Mt. Madonna
Henry Miller began buying property on Mt. Madonna in the 1870s. Logging had stripped much of the mountain of its dense forest, yielding panorama views of the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Clara Valley.

During their first mountain summers, the Miller family “roughed it”, entertaining visitors in colorful, furnished tents.

In the 1890s, Mr. Miller began building what would become three expansive “bungalows”. He terraced hillsides and planted lawns, flower gardens, an orchard and a vineyard. After Miller’s death in 1916, the estate fell into disrepair. In 1927, the County of Santa Clara
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began purchasing the property from Miller heirs for parkland.

The last remaining Miller Estate ruins lay before you. [Photo captions:] Henry Miller [top center], View from Mt. Madonna [bottom left], Miller Estate Bungalow [bottom center], Camp Pine Cone [bottom right].
 
Erected by Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: AgricultureIndustry & CommerceParks & Recreational AreasSettlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1850.
 
Location. 37° 0.768′ N, 121° 42.197′ W. Marker is near Gilroy, California, in Santa Clara County. Marker can be reached from Pole Line Road. This marker is located in Mount Madonna [Santa Clara] County Park, a short walk from the parking area near the visitor center. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Gilroy CA 95020, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Henry Miller Summer Home (a few steps from this marker); Ranchos and Growth (approx. 2.8 miles away); Round House (approx. 2.8 miles away); Uvas Creek (approx. 2.8 miles away); Rock Art (approx. 2.8 miles away); Arrival of the Spanish (approx. 2.8 miles away); Food Processing
The Miller Estate Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, March 30, 2012
2. The Miller Estate Marker
(approx. 2.8 miles away); Ohlone Buildings (approx. 2.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Gilroy.
 
Also see . . .  Henry Miller - Santa Clara Research Net. (Submitted on April 4, 2012, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.)
 
Ruins of the Henry Miller Summer Home image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, March 30, 2012
3. Ruins of the Henry Miller Summer Home
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on November 8, 2019. It was originally submitted on April 4, 2012, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 1,665 times since then and 89 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3. submitted on April 4, 2012, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 29, 2024