Top of a glorious November morning to you, saddlepals and saddlepal-ettes. That suspicious softening in the east? That’d be dawn stretching. Hate to drag you out of your bunks, but we’ve got some scenic albeit serious miles to burn.
On this morning’s trail ride through local history, we’ll be visiting with two famous hikers who walked more than a little bit to save their friends. We’ll be investigating a true Halloween night horror story and the mysterious murder of a prominent Los Angeles attorney.
No smiling at the latter, please.
We’ve got election hijinx, carpooling pornography and a Signal plea for us to stay out of the League of Nations.
C’mon. Jeans go on first, followed by the boots. You can yawn as much as you’d like in the saddle and not to worry about falling asleep and falling off. We’ll be back in this neighborhood again in another 10 years and will make a mental note to pick you up.
WAY, WAY BACK WHEN
THE MOST EPIC HIKE IN CALIFORNIA HISTORY — On Nov. 4, 1849, William Manley and John Rogers started their long walk from Death Valley and headed toward San Francisco. The two young men sought help for the stranded and distraught Bennett-Arcane wagon train. The boys got their directions mixed a bit. They ended up in the Santa Clarita Valley. When they asked where was San Francisco, a vaquero noted they were on it. He meant the Rancho San Francisco, the land grant that took up most of the SCV then. I always love throwing out this bit of trivia. Don Ignacio del Valle, owner of the Rancho, sent out a large party of cowboys to rescue the Bennett-Arcane families. It took a couple of months to get them back to the SCV and several families ended up settling here. But here’s the cool thing. One of the women, as she was leaving the desolate and unnamed desert spot, looked back from the covered wagon and said, “Good-bye, death valley.” And so the national park was named. That gal would end up settling here in Newhall.
BACK IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN DAYS — Today, Newhall Land measures its wealth in corporate reports and dividends. Back in 1893, they tallied their riches in agriculture. They were still experimenting with wheat, harvesting 20 sacks to the acre. Another 1,200 acres went to alfalfa. That would be the horse food. Not the Little Rascal. NL boasted of owning 400 horses, 2,000 head of cattle and 20,000 sheep. They were back in the real estate business even then, selling tracts from $15 to $75 an acre.
DRINKING THEIR LIVES AWAY — A report from 1894 noted that Newhall’s three Griffen brothers inherited a staggering $85,000 each. A friend said they were attempting to drink that up as quick as humanly possible.
WHEN YOU REALLY NEEDED A REALLY BIG BOX TO MOVE — Back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when folks moved, they really moved. Take Andrews Malezewski. He was the unofficial mayor of the Santa Clarita Valley proper’s first town — Andrews. It was where Eternal Valley is today. In 1879, he moved his ENTIRE, PHYSICAL house there to the corner of present-day Market and Railroad Avenue. The Tom Frew family moved into it around 1900, then moved it to 13th Street in 1925. The Motor Stage Cafe then filled in the vacant lot where the Malezewski home stood.
NOVEMBER 9, 1924
LOUSY THIEVES — For the second time in six weeks, Wilkie’s Store was robbed. Burglars made off with several hundred bucks in merchandise. Local lawmen figured it was the same gang, as identical merchandise was taken and the means of entry was the same (breaking the front window, reaching in, and opening the door).
A CENTURY LATER, ABOUT TIME FOR AN EDITORIAL TO LEAVE THE UNITED NATIONS? — On this date, in a Mighty Signal editorial, we urged that America not join the League of Nations. It sure didn’t stop World War II.
A TERRIBLE WAY TO END A USC FOOTBALL GAME — A wealthy Los Angeles attorney from a powerful Los Angeles family was murdered in Saugus on this date. Vincent Costello and a party of friends were driving around Saugus after a USC football game. Their car broke down and Costello flagged down a passing driver. When he approached the door, G.W. Burris shot him in the face and sped off. Famed local officer, Jack Pilcher, was notified. He immediately gave chase and found the car and driver in Pacoima. After a brief gun battle, Burris surrendered. He was arrested and taken back to jail in Newhall.
NOVEMBER 9, 1934
GOP NO MORE — The country was in a Democratic mood, what with Franklin Roosevelt in the White House and his New Deal starting to crank. The momentum swung to the 1934 election in California. All six Republican congressmen up for re-election lost.
MORE JOBLESS THAN ACTUAL SCV CITIZENS — Speaking of federally-funded relief programs, the Santa Clarita Valley got a big chunk of the Washington pie. New transient camps were established, the first being at present-day Pitchess Prison. Back then, it was the Dunn ranch. It was leased out to house about 800 jobless men. Other new camps opened, housing an additional 700 men. At its apex, there were over 3,000 transients stationed in work camps around the valley — many times more than the actual population of our valley.
THE SPORTING LIFE — The Great Depression hadn’t hurt Newhall’s thriving baseball team. They brought in $1.80 in profit from their Sunday game, bringing their budget up to $8.43 for the year.
ROOM FOR 5,000 CHICKENS — You could just imagine the howls if they tried this today. Ninety years back, a Sand Canyon property owner rented his 10-acre farm. It had room for 5,000 chickens. Price? Just 12 bucks a month.
WHEN YOU COULD MEMORIZE EVERYONE IN TOWN’S TELEPHONE NUMBERS — Besides being the valley historian, A.B. Perkins sold insurance. His telephone number was 61. Yup. Just 61. Newhall Garage’s telephone number back then was 9. Yup. Just 9.
NOVEMBER 9, 1944
WE SURE LIKED FDR — We now have a constitutional amendment limiting the term of president to just two consecutive terms. It’s rather staggering to see how long Franklin Delano Roosevelt was in office. He carried the 11 precincts of the Santa Clarita Valley in the 1944 election with 1,138 votes. Republican Thomas Dewey notched 880 votes.
CUTE LITTLE ELECTION ANECDOTE — A staunch Sand Canyon Democrat rancher had a leaky barn and was in dire straits to get it fixed. “If I could find somebody to fix that roof dogged if I wouldn’t vote for Dewey.” A local carpenter heard the boast, drove right over and made the roof tighter than a drum. Besides getting his day’s wage, he held the rancher to his boast.
NOVEMBER 9, 1954
BIG, GIANT ELECTION TURN-OUT — We had big voter turn-out a half-century back. The local precincts noted that between 50 and 75 percent of the registered voters showed up at the polls. The SCV swung a little to the right in the ’54 election.
NOVEMBER 9, 1964
DEMS IN SAUGUS, REPUBS IN NEWHALL — In the 1964 election, Barry Goldwater may have lost the presidency, but he carried Newhall. Of the 13 precincts, the conservative earned 1,563 votes to Lyndon Baines Johnson’s 1,544. But LBJ carried Saugus and its 23 precincts 2,869-2,707. That means Johnson carried the valley by 143 votes. A little trivia for you most folks don’t know — Goldwater was Gene Autry’s co-pilot during World War II. Talk about a couple of guys making it big…
NOVEMBER 9, 1974
NO. 1 & NOTHING TO CHEER ABOUT — For the first time in years, the Santa Clarita Valley was not No. 1. We had the dubious distinction of having the highest tax rate in L.A. County. To break this down, the median price of a home 50 years ago was $26,000. I know. Yipes. That meant the property owner paid $1,011 in property taxes. (Ken Pulskamp had to explain all that to me.)
A TRUE HALLOWEEN HORROR STORY — It started in Gardena and ended in a desolate portion of San Francisquito Canyon. Russell Gonzales and his family had been giving out candy when their doorbell rang. Four youths in white masks forced their way into the home and kidnapped the 23-year-old man. Despite the masks, the family members recognized some of the boys and thought at first it was a trick or treat prank. Evidently, the youths had kidnapped Gonzales in retaliation for beating up one of them weeks earlier. They drove him out to Saugus, forced him to dig his own grave and shot him once in the head. The wound was fatal. One of the boys went to authorities to report the murder. One of the masked group was Gonzales’ brother-in-law.
THE BIRTH OF RIDESHARE — Carpooling was a brand new word for Santa Clarita residents. With the new Arab oil embargo, gas prices shot up and many locals who worked further south were forced to ride together in vans or cars or take RTD busses. One bus stopped at a drive-in theater in Van Nuys so passengers could catch a second link into downtown Los Angeles. Some local commuters were rather miffed. Seems that when they got back to the drive-in, the movies had already started. The drive-in was X-rated and rather raunchy.
NOVEMBER 9, 1984
MAY I SEE YOUR ID, PLEASE? — Local Sheriff’s deputies launched a major sting operation. They took a baby-faced 17-year-old intern and instructed the kid to try and buy booze. At 11 out of 16 valley liquor stores, the teen was able to score. Deputies strolled in right after and opened up the big ticket book.
DUDLEY THE DUDLY — Dudley Farthing hardly made the master criminal list. He was arrested for busting up the women’s restroom in Val Verde park with a hammer. I know crime doesn’t pay, but in this case, I can’t even catch a hint where the profit in this would be hidden.
MONDALE? WHAT THE HECK WERE WE THINKING!?!?!? — Forty years ago, The Mighty Signal endorsed Walter Mondale for president. Several Republican businessmen chaffed at the suggestion, one going so far to note that we were “Tools of the Kremlin.” Which, I still hold, is an absolute GREAT band name. (For those of you who don’t follow contemporary history, it did The Signal little good to endorse the Democrat. Mondale lost.)
• • •
Almost hate to say it, but, up ahead, I see those familiar lights of the here-&-now. And, our ponies are perking up. They sense the homeland stables. Not to worry, dear compadres. We’ll surely do this next weekend. Until then? “¡Vayan con Dios, amigos!”
Santa Clarita’s John Boston is the most prolific humor writer and satirist in world history. Visit his new multimedia site and online store, http://johnlovesamerica.com/ launches. Pick up JB’s two-volume set of “MONSTERS” on local horror and macabre…
