George J. Miller Biography


	This biography appears on page 243 in "History of Dakota Territory" 
	by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. IV (1915) and was scanned, 
	OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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			GEORGE J. MILLER.  

	George J. Miller, a well known resident of Belle Fourche, is 
engaged in the fuel, feed and storage business and also operates a dray 
line. He was born in Nevada on the 29th of August, 1876, a son of Eliel 
and Martha A. (Mulholland) Miller, natives of Illinois and Eugene, 
Oregon, respectively. The father devoted the greater part of his time 
to general farming but also did some carpentering. In 1849 he 
accompanied his parents to the Pacific coast, where he spent a number 
of years. He was a resident of Goose Lake, Oregon, until 1875 and then 
went to Texas, traveling overland by wagon train through Nevada and 
Arizona to the Lone Star state. While on this trip the subject of this 
review was born. The family resided in Texas and Arizona for about two 
years and in the fall of 1879 removed to South Dakota, locating in 
Spearfish, where they remained during the winter. The following spring 
the family home was established ten miles west of Spearfish upon a farm 
on what is now called Crow creek. The father passed away there in 1895 
or 1896 and his widow is now a resident of Belle Fourche.  

	George J. Miller entered the South Dakota State Normal School at 
Spearfish after completing a public-school course and remained in that 
institution for about six months. When starting out in life for himself 
he was employed upon the range but when nineteen years old his father 
died and it was necessary for him to return home and assume charge of 
the ranch. He continued there for five or six years and then removed to 
Spearfish, where he was in the employ of others for four years. At the 
end of that time he engaged in the transfer business and after three 
years removed to Belle Fourche and for another period of four years 
worked for others. At the end of that time he had accumulated enough 
capital to enable him to engage in the fuel, feed and storage business, 
in which line he has continued to the present time. He also operates a 
dray line and has the local agency for the Standard Oil Company. His 
various business affairs make heavy demands upon his time and he 
concentrates his energies upon the management of his interests.  

	Mr. Miller was united in marriage in May, 1912, to Miss Mary 
Showalter, a daughter of Charles S. and Mary (Deal) Showalter, who were 
born in West Virginia. Mrs. Miller came west to South Dakota but later 
returned to West Virginia and still later went to Chicago, where her 
marriage to Mr. Miller occurred. Her father is still a resident of West 
Virginia but her mother is deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Miller have a 
daughter, Mary Helen, whose birth occurred January 11, 1914.  

	Mr. Miller is independent in political affairs, believing that 
the rule. of the party is inimical to the best government. As he has 
quietly gone about his daily work he has made many friends because of 
his energy, integrity and willingness to accommodate others and he is 
one of the valued citizens of Belle Fourche.