Otto Miller was born in Kansas City, Missouri, January 26th 1891. His father and family came to Palmdale July 15th 1896. His father, Harvey D. Miller, homesteaded 160 acres at the top of Bouquet Canyon which is about 10 miles west of Palmdale. They bought an additional 9 acres that was for sale for $1.25 per acre. They proved up on this land and farmed it for a number of years. Father Miller planted the Almond Trees at the Summit which are still alive and healthy, giving beautiful blossoms in the spring and still producing a good crop of almonds. The father helped build the Bouquet Canyon Road clear to Saugus, a distance of 21 miles. There was a good stream of clear running water then and as Otto remembers the road crossed the stream back and forth 23 times in the 21 miles. Even today this road is one of the scenic trips that tourists are urged to make.

   Otto went to grade school in a one room school house first in Leona Valley and then in Bouquet Canyon. Then later they moved to Pasadena and Otto went to the Old Pasadena High School on the N.W. corner of Walnut and Los Robles. The first teacher in the Leona Valley school as Otto recalls, was E.T. Ingham.

    An interesting side light was mentioned that one could ride thru the hills and valleys for 40 miles and not run into any fences. All of the families that settled in the Leona Valley homesteaded thei r property. Some of the names of these pioneers were Milton, Willy and George Sears, The Mitchellis, The Coate's, and The Biddison's. John Ritter started his winery in Leona Valley on his 160 acres and then bought the old Mannelita Andarada place of 500 acres for $4.25 per acre.

    Otto worked when he was 14 yrs. old for Fred Godde making wine. Grapes grew easily and were a good crop.

    Otto did not seem to have much time to get into mischief, there were always horses to feed, cows to milk, chickens to tend, garden to hoe, hay to haul and other small chores. Too bad boys today do not have such work to do.

   When Otto was 8 yrs old he was helping his father haul a load of hay. Some how the horses ran away and dumped the load. The father got a broken collar bone and was taken to the doctor in Lancaster. Otto, at eight, got the bronco horses together and brought them home. His father was offered 240 acres of land near by for $1,600 but did not want to borrow the money to buy it. Two years later it sold for $6,000. I wonder what it is worth today??

    Otto's father worked on the Dam at Palmdale Lake in 1897. They shaped up the dirt dam by scraping out the dirt at the bottom of the lake with teams of horses and mules, using scrapers and fresnos. The work was certainly not easy. A heavy snow storm that winter, held up the work for a while, but they finished the dam. Water then was brought over from Littlerock Creek by ditch, flume and tunnel to the new reservoir so that it could supply water to the farmers in the Palmdale area. The pay for the men and teams building the Palmdale Lake was from $1.20 to $1.50 per day.

    The Owen's Valley Aqueduct was being built in 1906 so this gave the farmers extra work and was a bonanza to be sure.

    By todays standards, you might say these pioneers were financially poor. But they did not know it. They were really wealthy. Rich in strength and resourcefulness. Rich in knowing how to work and earn a good living. Rich in having good home grown vegetables, fruit and meat to eat. Rich in fine families and good neighbors.

    Otto Miller visited me today. He is now 80 years old. Hale and hearty. Interested in life. He and his wife, Betty Wallace Miller have done considerable traveling and are looking forward to more such pleasant trips.

   We "reminisced" that hard work was good for a boy. As we look around the older people as a rule that had to work hard to exist are usually the ones that are the healthiest today.

    I have written this up the best I could from the notes I took in talking to Otto. I hope it is in general factual, and will be of value and add to the many interesting stories and letters from our Pioneer friends of the "Olden Days".

Sincerely,
J. Shelton Gordon