Alexander Miller, a member of the thrifty band of sturdy men who came to this country at the opening of the reservation to make of it one of the most fertile and productive regions of the west, is now to be numbered with the leading citizens of this section and is a well to do and substantial man.
Alexander Miller was born in Fulton County, Ohio, October 18, 1850, being the son of Alexander and Polly Anna (Lyba) Miller. The father was born in Switzerland in 18 10 and came to the United States in his boyhood days. He died in 1899, having been one of the prominent oil men in early days in Pennsylvania. The mother of our subject was born in Pennsylvania in 1826 and died in 1868. She descended from the Puritan stock; her grandfather Lyba fought in the Revolution and her grandmother who recently died played a conspicuous part also in that memorable struggle. Our subject worked with his father in the oil regions until eighteen and then returned to Ohio and there bored oil wells. In 1876, he went to Dickinson County, Kansas, and bought a farm of railroad land and also drilled wells in addition to the farm improvement and labors. He remained there for twelve years and in 1889, he sold out and came to Spokane, that being the time of the big fire.
He took up railroading and was located at Medical Lake for nine months and then went to Colfax, where he continued that labor until 1895. In that year, Mr. Miller came to the opening reservation and secured his present estate as a homestead. It is located a mile and a half south from Ilo and this has been the family home since that date. He has made good improvements and does general farming and raising hogs.
In 1871, Mr. Miller married and two children were born to them, George and Amy. George is attending the Northwestern Medical college in Chicago where he will graduate in three years more and then will return to this country for practice. He has also had a course in Ann Arbor. Amy married George Calmer and they live in Colfax. Mr. Miller has two brothers and two sisters, George, John, Jane Townes, and Matilda Buria. Mr. Miller is a staunch Democrat and is an advocate for improvement in all lines and especially so in matters of education. His home is a valuable and pleasant place and the six room residence, good barn, fine orchard and other improvements are all evidences of his wisely bestowed labors.
Source: An Illustrated History of North Idaho: Embracing Nez Perce, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho; Western Historical Publishing Company, 1903