The Pancho Villa Connection

It's a storied invasion. Pancho Villa brashly attacked Columbus, New Mexico in 1916, killing several civilians, opening the wrath of the U.S. Army led by General Pershing.

Editorial cartoon 1916 LOC

And there is a Hillsboro connection.

Druggist C.C. Miller, originally from Kansas, went to Columbus after pulling up stakes in Hillsboro.  C.C. Miller sold his drugstore business to George T. and Ninette Miller (no relation that we know of), and in that family the business remained until the early 1970s, when their son, George A. Miller passed away.  Today, the building is the Country Store and Cafe.

C.C. Miller left a vacancy in the hearts of friends and family. His friend, Dr. Stivinson, survived the attack, and had this to say: "We found the body of our good friend, C.C. Miller, the druggist, lying in the door of his store . . .  Mr. Miller had been a particularly fine character."

Part of the connection to Hillsboro is still tangible in the holdings of the Black Range Museum. The museum has C.C. Miller's pharmaceutical certification, dated 1885. Be sure and visit the museum to see this gem and many others.  It's a privately owned museum, and your donations are encouraged and appreciated.

C.C. Miller's Kansas pharmacy certification. Miller, a former Hillsboro druggist, was murdered by Villistas. Black Range Museum