¿Como esta, yuppies? Come on, you bunk huggers. Best you climb down from those condos, ranchettes and townhouses. We’ve a most interesting ride through the unspoiled vistas of the Santa Clarita of yesteryear.
We’ve got the valley’s worst tomato disaster ahead. There’s a visit to the Santa Clarita Valley by Gerald Ford, an invasion by giant African frogs and something you don’t see much anymore: a girl knife fight.
Sit yourself down in those saddles, the heinie (yours) should probably be facing the cantle. That’d be the south end of the saddle opposite the knobby thing some of us call a horn …
WAY, WAY BACK WHEN
OIL. NOT CHICKEN. — On this very day in 1876, the Pioneer Oil Refinery moved from its original location near where Eternal Valley cemetery is today over to its present-day location on Pine Street. It was the first successful commercial oil refinery in California.
HOW MANY OF YOU LIVE ON THE SANDY SPIT OF LAND? — Today, this location is probably most famous for being the home of the Saugus Cafe. But the site has a long and checkered history of confusing names. As I’ve mentioned before, that place was the original location of the community of Newhall, founded in 1876.
A couple of years later, the entire town moved a few miles south to where downtown Newhall is HQed today. Then, about 10 years later, a new town and train depot was founded. It was named Saugus after the boyhood home of Henry Mayo Newhall. Our sometimes-forgotten little Massachusetts sister city is still around today.
The word, “Saugus,” comes from the Narragasut Indian word meaning: “sandy spit of land.” In 1891, store owner O.C. Bercaw got the rights to host the post office in his shop. But instead of calling the place, “Saugus,” he had the postmaster name the community, “Surrey,” probably after his relatives’ home in England.
This all stemmed from a humorous “feud” with his friend and neighbor, Martin Wood, owner of the blacksmith shop next door. The two pals painted a line on the sidewalk to differentiate between the two communities. It got so confusing, postal authorities stepped in, killed Surrey forever and renamed the place, “Saugus,” on Sept. 4, 1915.
AUGUST 3, 1924
NOW THAT’S AN ADVENTURE VACATION — This has absolutely no historic value whatsoever, but it sure made me and my horse shake our heads in the saddle. On this date, the Tom Frew I family returned home from a vacation in Indio. I don’t care what century it is. Who in the heck vacations in Indio — in August? Makes me cranky just thinking about it.
TURN ON YOUR LIGHTS, GET ARRESTED — Southern California Edison, after urging everyone to hook up to their electrical grid, was busy urging everyone not to use too much electricity. The police even got into the act. Local sheriff’s deputies made sure non-essential lights were turned off at night. In Los Angeles, a city of a million people then, had 2,000 officers AND the Boy Scouts patrolling on the nights on and around the full moon. The city ordered all exterior lights off during that lunar cycle.
NOW THESE GUYS WERE TOUGH CONSTRUCTION WORKERS — On this date, a century ago, the Newhall train tunnel completed its enlargement and improvement project. Built in 1876, the original tunnel had wooden support walls. The tunnel was widened and the walls strengthened by lining them with concrete. The project took years to complete. The train tunnel, still in use today, is one of the longest in America. What made this project so amazing was that they didn’t suspend train traffic. Work crews just moved tools, doused lights, took hits of compressed air and hugged the sides of the tunnel until the train would pass.
AUGUST 3, 1934
YEE-OUCH, THAT’S EXPENSIVE VENISON! — On this date, two local hunters were fined $100 each AND two months in jail for shooting deer out of season. To give you an idea of prices during the 1930s, that $100 would pay for 10 months’ rent on a furnished house in Newhall.
AUGUST 3, 1944
YOU SAY, ‘TOE-MAY-TOES,’ I SAY, ‘TOE-MAH-TOES’ — David King earned the ignoble distinction of being the only known individual to be killed by tomatoes in the Santa Clarita Valley. On this date, he was hitching a ride down from Fresno and was riding in one of the beds of a big rig. The truck lost its brakes, careened out of control and crushed King between the side of a mountain and 10 tons of tomatoes.
RE: THE ABOVE? — For the record, I NEVER say “toe-mah-toes …”
DUCK SEASON? WABBIT SEASON? — This seems to be a recurring theme in local history. About 20 years ago, the citizens of the tony Valencia community of Woodlands were in the glare of the news spotlight for their proposal to go on a safari to rub out their cottontail population. So 80 years back, four out-of-town hunters were arrested for shooting bunnies out of season. The quad also bagged 14 jackrabbits, but they were considered fair game all year round. Don’t tell that to Bugs …
RE: THE ABOVE? — Jackrabbits aren’t really rabbits. They’re hares — larger than regular bunnies, with huge ears and much longer legs.
IT’S NOT LIKE YOU CAN PULL INTO THE NEXT SERVICE STATION — Of all things, you’d think a pilot would check his gas tank. Roy Steiner was sightseeing in a Piper Cub with a friend. He had taken off from Bakersfield en route to Pomona. Steiner ran out of gas over Soledad and landed in a wheat field. He and his pal walked away without a scratch.
GUYS? BEFORE THE NEXT TIME YOU ASK, “WILL YOU BE MY BRIDE?” ASK IF SHE HAS A RECORD OF BEING IN KNIFE FIGHTS — Not so lucky was Billie Ray Watson. She lost a girl knife fight in Val Verde and had to be hospitalized. That’s always a good newspaper seller of a headline: “GIRL KNIFE FIGHT!”
AUGUST 3, 1954
A LOT OF SPAGHETTI AND ENCHILADA SAUCES WERE CREATED THAT HOT AUGUST DAY — Back in 1944, same week, it was tomatoes. Now, it was onions. A runaway refrigerated train car filled with freshly picked Newhall onions went careening down the tracks with Jim Huckaby atop. The railroad man leapt for his life shortly before the car derailed, spilling the contents. Huckaby escaped with a few scratches. As usual, during train spills, dozens of locals rushed over to load up sacks of onions. It was only dozens because you couldn’t walk two steps in the SCV back then without stepping on an onion …
QUAKING IN OUR BOOTS. AND WALLETS. — On this date, Newhall Elementary underwent a remodeling. The school had been rebuilt after the great St. Valentine’s Day fire of 1939. Building inspectors from 1954 deemed the structure unsafe, especially against earthquakes. So, on the order of L.A. County engineers, a huge crane was brought in to topple the allegedly unsafe building. It took three full days of attacks from a 2-ton steel ball before they were able to knock down the reinforced concrete walls. Your tax dollars at work …
AND NOT A SINGLE PENNY FOR DEI — I’m not sure if there ever was a year where a school district boasted of a budget smaller than the previous year’s. The William S. Hart Union High School District released their proposed 1954-55 budget. It was $270,133 — or, about $40,000 more than the previous year’s.
AUGUST 3, 1964
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, VASQUEZ ROCKS!!! — Well. Sort of. On this date, the Board of Supervisors voted to acquire the historic and unique rock formations and lands as a county park. The county started by leasing the lands from owners Ida and Edward Toney, who also owned the ranch next door. L.A. paid the Toneys $1,173 a month. Prior to 1877, the place was just known as The Rocks. It earned the handle, “Vasquez” after famed bandito Tiburcio Vasquez, subject of the largest manhunt in California history. Henry Krieg, great uncle of Ed Toney, homesteaded the land in 1912.
CAN MERCURY GET JAMMED? — I got a feeling whoever was in charge of the thermometer forgot to click it a couple of times with a fingernail. Sixty years back, the nighttime low for Newhall was 42. I don’ thin’ so, Lootsie …
SHOULDA RUN FOR GOVERNOR — From the “Good Answer, George” Department — on this date, Hart Principal George Harris was the victim of The Signal’s “Question Man.” The query? “Do you like to play golf with women?” Quoth Mr. Harris: “Yes, with my wife. She’s congenial and likes the game, too. She doesn’t hamper me. It’s a good family sport.” Except for the fact that he’s honest and brimming with good character, I’m surprised Mr. Harris never ran for public office with answers like that. One of the most beloved teachers and administrators in the history of the valley, George Harris lived to be 95 and made his transition in 2006. He was Hart High’s principal for years, remembering EVERY student’s name, in all grades. I still smile, thinking about my pal. We always answered the phone the same way. He’d call me, “Mr. Boston” and I’d call him “George.” And before any business was conducted, George Harris always had a joke …
RE: THE ABOVE? — After just waxing poetic about how nimble Principal Harris was with words, I can’t imagine, going on public record with a statement about how my wife, girlfriend or hunting dog, “… doesn’t hamper me …”
AUGUST 03, 1974
AND NONE OF THEM NAMED, “KERMIT” — Somehow, several African clawed frogs showed up in the wilds of Agua Dulce. A couple of the giant species, almost 9 inches long, were caught in a pond near Vasquez Rocks. It was feared that if they were allowed to make it to the Santa Clara River and spread, they would eliminate the fragile fauna of the valley. The colony was removed from the rocks.
GERALD HAD OTHER PLANS — The preparation for the arrival of Gerald Ford continued. The veep was supposed to speak at California Institute of the Arts on Aug. 12. We even had horse-mounted patrols prepared to work security during his speech. Of course, Mr. Ford never made it to Valencia that day. He had a last-minute appointment — being sworn in as 38th president after Richard M. Nixon resigned in disgrace from the Watergate political spying and coverup crisis. That seems to be small potatoes in comparison to presidential politics today …
AUGUST 03, 1984
THAT’S A LOT OF PAYCHECKS AND LUNCH BUCKETS — Magic Mountain was the largest employer in the SCV with 2,700 full- and part time workers. That made up 12% of the valley’s 21,000 jobs.
WHEN MIKE WAS ALMOST PURINA LION CHOW — Michael Gulliver, 11, received the usual warnings from his parents. One wasn’t so usual: “Don’t play too rough with the lion …” The Agua Dulce boy was wrestling with an 8-month-old cub when the lion bit him on the back of the neck. It only required a bandage. But, to be on the safe side, he was airlifted by helicopter to downtown Los Angeles for a closer inspection.
SO YOU REALLY DON’T WANT TO JUMP OUT OF YOUR CAR IN A NUTBURGER ATTACK OF ROAD RAGE WITH GEORGIE — The 1984 Olympics were hosted by Los Angeles and Saugusite George Ross came within 12 points (out of 1,800) of competing. Ross was a world-renowned target pistol shooter.
LOCAL OLYMPIAN — Here’s some special SCV trivia for you. While Mr. Ross almost made it to the Olympics, Cory Snyder, former Canyon High baseball phenom, was the only local to compete. Of course, that was just in a test-the-waters Olympic demonstration tourney. Good year for the Canyon High grad. Snyder went to BYU and was the fourth pick in the Major League Baseball draft of 1984. Not too many know Corey’s dad was also a MLB player.
ONE LAST SCV OLYMPIC TIDBIT — The New Zealand kayak team stayed in the SCV and worked out at the Saugus High gym and at Castaic Lake.
• • •
As usual, surely appreciate the companionship on these Sunday morns. What say we get together next week before the heat visits and wander where and when time doesn’t matter? 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 …
