Misters and ma’ams, wishing you a boffo and top-tiered western pre-dawn to all y’all, dear saddlepals. C’mon. Hop into something that looks remotely cowboyish (valuable bonus points will be deducted from your permanent frontier record if we find out you’ve pressed your jeans) and slide on down those million-dollar condo railings, for there’s a special pony waiting for you downstairs.
Heavens. Where did this year go? It’s the last weekend of 2024 and we’ve all sorts of gee-whiz adventures ahead. C’mon.
Let us mosey into the mystic ...
WAY, WAY BACK WHEN IGGY & TONY — Ignacio del Valle had not seen his father, Antonio, in years. The elder military man had invited his son up from Northern Mexico to join him. Purpose? To make a great fortune in California.
When Iggy arrived in Monterey on July 27, 1825, the two men learned something important: They couldn’t stand one another. In fact, both fought on separate sides during the Californio wars. Later, they’d reconcile.
Antonio, on his death bed, wanted to make sure he had an heir to his fortune (the entire Santa Clarita Valley with more acreage, crops, peons and livestock in Santa Barbara). He said his oldest child could have half the SCV if he would just marry and provide an heir. The dates are unclear whether Ignacio put the cart before the horse, but he did provide a legitimate grandchild and earned a fortune for, essentially, as they clear their throats in the Bible and delicately refer to it as going forth and multiplying .
.. OUR FORGOTTEN COPPER FORTUNES — While the Civil War raged back east, a major copper discovery along the Santa Clara River had Californians talking.
Beautiful copper ingots, shaped like leaves and lined with silver, were being pulled out in the hills from modern Canyon Country up to Acton. Huge wagon convoys carrying gold, silver, copper and quartz rumbled out of the valley to Oxnard and then up mostly to San Francisco. An L.
A. paper suggested creating a big tunnel from the San Fernando Valley to Newhall so that the ore wouldn’t be lost to the Buenaventura area. Scruffy miners were selling their claims for anywhere from $20,000 to a quarter million to San Francisco businessmen and speculators.
JULY 27, 1924 SANTA CLARITA, THE TOURIST TRAP? — It may be hard to believe, but we were a big tourist destination in the early part of the 20th century. There was a spot called the Live Oaks Springs Cabins about 2 miles up from present-day Soledad-Sierra junction. A couple of Hollywood investors sold 500 cabin sites.
There was an outside wooden dance floor and player piano, along with a snack bar. THE VALLEY’S FIRST PAY PHONE — We’re filthy rich in phones, from the few remaining land lines to Sci-Fi cell phones. It wasn’t the case back in 1924.
Owners of the McGinnis & Urfer’s confectionery store announced they would be installing a pay phone inside so that locals could make calls up until 11 p.m. Back then, we didn’t have direct dialing and the phone company office was open only from 7 a.
m. to 7 p.m.
and closed on Sunday. If you had to make an emergency call any other time, the only other 24-hour phone available was at Wood’s Garage in Saugus. JULY 27, 1934 NOT BAD MOOLAH FOR THE DEPRESSION — The old Fourth of July parade committee kept meticulous records.
Their big weekend event netted $165.48. The bookkeeper even noted an expenditure of 36 cents — for cornmeal.
LOW COST OF PUBLIC EDUCATION — Speaking of fun with numbers, the combined TOTAL expenditures for the Newhall, Saugus and Castaic school districts for 1934-35 was $47,979. Get this. Administration costs for the Saugus district was just $40.
For the Newhall district, salaries — for teachers and staff — were $12,000 for the year. JULY 28, 1938 THE TUNNEL’S STILL THERE, BUT IT’S FILLED WITH DIRT — From 1910 to 1938, the main road into the valley from the San Fernando side was via the Newhall road tunnel. It’s under present-day Sierra Highway.
They filled it in and put the current Sierra Highway grade just south of town. The ribbon cutting was on this date. JULY 27, 1944 A MOST HORRIFIC ACCIDENT TO A MOST WONDERFUL PERSON — Former Newhall Sheriff’s Capt.
E.C. Marty saw the SCV through most of World War II.
He retired to operate a hunting lodge up in Bridgeport. On this date, he was the victim of a freak accident, which turned him into a human torch. Dr.
C.W. Stevens of Hasley Canyon was delivering horses to Marty.
After arriving, Dr. Stevens experienced trouble with his car due to the altitude. He and a friend had the hood open and air filter off.
They were trying to adjust the carburetor. Captain Marty walked by, the engine backfired and a plume of flaming gasoline splashed onto Marty’s head and shoulders. Dr.
Stevens sustained second and third degree burns on his hands, trying to put out the flames. Marty showed amazing composure as he stood there, eyes closed and holding his breath while the second friend, Dan Michael, put out the flames with a coat. SLOPPY WORK — County road crews made a mess of the main drag through Newhall (Spruce Street then, Railroad Avenue today).
In trying to put down a 2-inch new tar surface, they splashed gravel and tar all over the sidewalks. Merchants were cleaning up for a week. MORE FUN WITH NUMBERS — The total expenditures for those same three school districts from 1934-35 — Newhall, Saugus and Castaic — was $108,785.
Yup. It more than doubled. JULY 27, 1954 THE MONKEY BUCKET BOOGER-EATING PUNK-ASTERISK ANNOYING PRANKSTERS, NOT THE 5th-CENTURY GERMANIC BARBARIAN TRIBES — Vandals broke the locks on the main water tank for Newhall and jimmied the valves.
Nearly 300,000 gallons of water were lost. Fortunately, the well sat above the huge aquifer on Railroad Canyon. STICKY, YICKY WEATHER — We suffered under three weeks of humid weather at, or way above, the century mark.
Humidity was between 60 and 80%. OUR LONG-LOST NUCLEAR REACTOR — North American Aviation, Inc. applied for and received — within six weeks — permission from the federal government to build a giant uranium cooker plant on the slopes of Oat Mountain.
The plant was to cost $10 and supply electricity for the Southland. It would also produce enormous amounts of radioactive materials and was never built. At least, not to my knowledge.
Interestingly, the announcement was made the same time as the launching of National Farm Safety Week. I guess for local ranchers, that meant don’t eat beef that glows in the dark. JULY 27, 1964 LIKE FIRE, NEW MATH BAD? — Local parents were scratching their heads when their kids came home spouting that 3-plus-4 equals 2.
Students and parents were being exposed to something called, “New Math.” TODAY, THAT’D BE ABOUT A QUARTER-BILLION — Sixty years back, you could buy 210 acres in Haskell Canyon for just about $1 million. Today, that’d get you a couple of three-bedroom houses buttressed up against one another.
JULY 27, 1974 SAXONIA FOR SALE — The oldest park in Newhall — Saxonia, in Placerita Canyon — was put up on the sales block. The private recreation area had been the site of numerous public events, from the Catholic barbecue to the Fourth of July weekend party. It was originally built in 1924 by German immigrants from the province of Saxony, which was situated (in 1974) in East Germany.
In its early heyday, the park had a dance hall, gazebo, two picnic pavilions, a club house, stone beer cellar and other buildings. In May 1973, the park was sold to Lester Meadows and his wife. They continued to rent out the place for gatherings.
Locals in Placerita Canyon complained about the dust, noise and sometimes rowdy behavior and challenged the Meadows’ license renewal. It wasn’t granted and the couple was forced to sell. Asking price? Just $157,000 for five of the prettiest acres in town.
It’s a Foursquare Church, today. OVER THE HILL AT 24? — On this date, Signal sports writer Walt Cieplik was sent on an assignment to compete in a summer College of the Canyons track meet. Cieplik “ran” the 440-yard, ahem — dash (in under eight minutes) and competed in the long jump where he cleared 14 feet, “.
..a mark,” Cieplik wrote, “I was later told, that would qualify me as average in the President’s Physical Fitness Test for 8-year-old girls.
” NATURE ERUPTS — A splendiferous electrical storm over Placerita Canyon both started and quenched a fire. Thousands of residents poured into the streets to watch the unusual — and powerful — July storm. While lightning started a brush fire in Placerita — 50 years to the week after our own horrendous blaze — rains quickly doused the blaze by the time firefighters arrived.
JULY 27, 1984 NO NOONER JOKES, PUH-LEAZE — On this date, the Santa Clarita Motel held its grand opening. ANOTHER USELESS COMMITTEE — The Newhall Elementary School Desegregation Committee met for three hours on this date. Mainly, they discussed whether the committee needed to be in existence.
Minority enrollment was at 36% at the school. One local wag quipped they might have to bus in white children. • • • Well.
Seems like we’ve made it back full circle to the here and now. You folks stay cool and rested. I’ll just take care of these several thousand horses getting fed, watered and de-tacked.
No. Don’t worry. I like it.
See you next Saturday back here at The Mighty Signal hitching post, dear friends, with a brand new Time Ranger adventure and, until then — “ ¡Vayan con Dios, amigos!” If you do love local history and reading about ghosts, myths and monsters, visit Boston’s bookstore at johnbostonbooks.com . Pick up JB’s two-volume set of “MONSTERS” on local horror and macabre .
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