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Joaquin Miller, born 1837,  was known as a "character" in his day, and time has not necessarily improved his reputation.  But, he was an early western figure who influenced many of his time and those who came after.  While his life and his writings have been the subject of much criticism, he helped create some of the enduring Old West myths. When Miller couldn't find success in America, he took his show on the road to Britain and became the popular "Poet of the Sierras."  It's said that he inspired Buffalo Bill's career.  Miller has been called a "poseur" and "a vulgar fraud" and worse, and Bret Harte refused to publish any of his poems in his Overland Express. Still, at one time his poem Columbus was known by every school child.   We've included one of his poems (a love poem to one of his wives) and some links to other folks' sites that tell more about this colorful writer from our past. In Twayne's United States Authors Series, author O. W. Frost writes about one short poem:  "Joaquin's manner of leaving Squawtown supports the tradition of Owen Wister's Western hero, the Virginian.  Disenchanted by his old partner Volney Abbey, Joaquin circulated the following lampoonery:" Ye poets will open wide your eyes Excuse me for being gabby For I write of the renown of a man in town By the name of Volney Abbey Wise Dr Gates thus speaks and prates Though you know he is somewhat gabby I been bereft of some flour I left I believe by Volney Abbey. Miller was not unaware of his deficiencies, and a few verses from 1856 illustrate his "outsider" feelings.  (And Miller didn't seem to believe in wasting apostrophes): Oh how I wish I a goin was at home In the valley of the old Willamette And never again Id wish to roam Ile seal the assertion with damn it. Ile not have to live on chile beans Shortbeef and rusty bacon Nor work in mud and more and rain And be all the time a shaken But have enough to eat or drink And best of clothes to wear sir Ile leave the beef to rot and stink And Ile have no chile beans out there sir. But when I am I to get back home Im sure I cannot tell sir I havent half the chance to get back there That I have to go to hell sir. Maybe the critics are right, but we'll give him one last chance with the poem below,  Midnight Pencilings, written in 1862. See information about the 2005 Joaqin Miller conference below.

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Midnight Pencillings

I am sitting alone in the moonlight,
    In the moonlight soft and clear,
And a thousand thoughts steal o'er me,
    While penciling, sitting here;
And the cricket is chirping, a chirping
    And sings as I sit alone,
In the tall willow grass around me,
    In a low and plaintive tone.

But fancy goes flitting and flying,
    And I cannot keep it here,
Though the crickets are singing so plaintive,
    And the moon shines never so clear.
Away in the hazy future—
    Afar by the foaming sea
I am painting a cot in my fancy—
    A cottage, and "Minnie" and me.

Now fancy grows dim in the distance—
    So dim in the long since past,
That I scarce can take the fair picture
    Of the playmates I spotted with last.
But away in the western wildwood
    In the woodland wild and wier,
I relive in fancy my childhood
    And sigh that I'm sitting here.

Yet I know 'tis wrong to be sighing
    And seeking a future too fair,
Or to call up old hopes that are lying
    A wreck in the sea of despair;
I know that the present has pleasures
    That I ought to enjoy and embrace,
Lest I sigh for these days that are passing
    When the future has taken their place.

Yet, as I sit in the moonlit meadow,
    With no voice but nature's near,
Save the chirp and the chime of the cricket
    Falling plaintively on the ear,
I cannot control my fancy,
    My thoughts are so wayward and wild,
That I ever will dream of the future,
    Or wish I again were a child.

 

Joaquin Miller's California Home (1909 Postcard)

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A Few Links and Books

• The California Reader site is an impressive site that includes Miller's poetry, prose, and photos of him and his family. The site also has articles about how others, including Lily Langtry, saw Miller, and it includes more links.

 

Though Miller wrote many books, only one remains in print:

  Miller's Life Amongst The Modocs is "based on his years among the mining towns and Indian camps of northernmost California during the tumultuous 1850s."  This book's reputation has endured and it is still widely read, nearly 125 years after it was first published. 

Other titles that may be available at your library or through used bookstores include:

Songs of the Sierras, 1871
Forty-nine, 1882
In Classic Shades and Other Poems, 1890
The Poetical Works of Joaquin Miller, 1923
Overland in a Covered Wagon: An Autobiography, 1930
Joaquin Miller:  His California Diary, 1936
Selected Writings of Joaquin Miller (and his drawings), 1977



October 14-15, 2005
Joaquin Miller Conference  Redding, California

JOAQUIN MILLER CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENT AND CALL FOR PAPERS

Dear Joaquin Miller friends,

Shasta College is pleased to announce the hosting of a 2-day conference on their beautiful campus in Redding, California on October 14th and 15th, 2005.  The program will include keynote speakers, poetry readings by the light of the full moon, documentaries, multimedia presentations, socials, a skit by a Living History class of elementary students, a Wintu blessing/opening ceremony on both days, and more.  Plus, you will have the opportunity to share in the beauty of the nearby Sacramento River that Joaquin so loved.

The organizers for this year's conference are Scott Thompson, Executive Director of the Shasta College Foundation, his brother Jay Thompson, advisory committee member of the Shasta College Museum, and Dottie Smith, Shasta College Museum curator and instructor of Shasta County History.  The sole underwriter for this conference is WinRiver Casino in Redding.  To them we owe a huge thank you because now we can, in the words of Joaquin, "On! Sail on!"

As always, these conferences are your chance to hear and/or present information regarding Joaquin Miller.  So, mark your calendars and let us know as soon as possible if you would like to present a paper.  We look forward to hearing from you.

Additional information regarding driving directions and hotel and restaurant locations will be forthcoming.  Contact person is Dottie Smith at dsmith@shastacollege.edu.

Thank you and we hope to hear from you soon.

Dottie, Jay, and Scott

See the Joaquin Miller Conference and Celebration web site for the latest information: http://www.joaquinmiller.net/

 

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