Joaquin Miller

Poet

  • Born: September 8, 1837 or 1839
  • Birthplace: Liberty, Indiana
  • Died: February 17, 1913
  • Place of death: Oakland, California

Biography

Joaquin Miller, originally known as Cincinnatus Hiner Miller, was born in the 1830’s in Indiana. His family moved frequently through the rural areas in north-central Indiana, and Miller’s father held jobs as a shopkeeper, teacher, and farmer. In 1852, the family decided to relocate to the Western United States, and set off on the Oregon Trail. The family settled in Oregon along the McKenzie River, where they made the acquaintance of a man named “Mountain Joe” De Bloney, who worked variously as a miner, horse tamer, and scout.

Fascinated by the exciting stories De Bloney would often tell, Miller ran away from home to join De Bloney in a mining operation in northern California. When mining proved to be an unreliable source of income, De Bloney took Miller to live with a group of Native Americans in the Squaw Valley, where De Bloney hatched a plot to found a Native American Republic. Miller became deeply involved with the Native Americans, going so far as to fight battles alongside them at Castle Crags and Pit River. Miller left the Native American community to briefly attend Columbia College in Oregon, but soon returned to California, where he fathered a child with a tribeswoman named Paquita.

In 1860, Miller again returned to Oregon, where he worked as a surveyor, schoolteacher, and lawyer. Miller attempted to found a law office in Idaho, but it quickly failed, and he became a rider for the Pony Express mail service. With his earnings from this endeavor, Miller built a family homestead in Oregon, and began writing, first for the Eugene City Democratic Register, and later for the Eugene City Review. In 1862, Miller married the poetess Theresa Dyer, and the couple relocated to San Francisco in search of literary fame, but they soon returned to Oregon. Miller returned to practicing law, eventually becoming a judge. However, his judicial career was ruined by his scandalous divorce from Dyer in 1870.

Miller began traveling, first to New York, then to Scotland and England. In London, Miller published Pacific Poems and Songs of the Sierras, both in 1871, and the books became wildly popular. Miller went on to write several plays, numerous volumes of poetry, novels, and an autobiography. However, Miller is best remembered for his poetry, including Songs of the Sun- Lands and Shadows of Shasta.