I applaud your autumnal holiday spirit but urge those in the gorilla suits to make sure your pony doesn’t mistake you for a grizzer bear. Said horse might buck you to the Sweet Hereafter.
That post-Halloween warning aside, we’re a merry posse heading into yesteryear and armed rightly to encounter the likes of local Bigfoot monsters, the felling of the Lyons Oak, legendary pistol fighters and the time Bill Hart’s paper boy was in town to star in an all-time classic movie — “The Virginian.”
Hold onto your hats as we enter the time continuum. Sometimes there’s a smidge of a breeze …
WAY, WAY BACK WHEN
ACTUALLY, HE WAS WORTH A PLUG NICKEL — Rudolph Nickel was inarguably THE mover and shaker of Acton. He started the town’s first newspaper and built a famous hotel that hosted several presidents as guests. On Nov. 2, 1891, Nickel founded the first water company in the valley — the Acton Water Works. Water’s still scarce up there in the SCV’s northern boundaries a century-plus later …
ELM BOULEVARD? — In 1878, land baron Henry Mayo Newhall ordered the planting of several hundred young elm trees along what would later be Newhall Avenue and Main Street. Eucalyptus were later added and there was a lovely shaded bridle path stretching from his ranch house at Castaic Junction to the stables where Hart Park is today. I still miss those magnificent trees that used to line Downtown Newhall.
WHAT DOES NEWHALL HAVE IN COMMON WITH COMPTON & LOMPOC? — All three started out as planned Prohibitionist communities. In 1887, John St. John, governor of Kansas and leader of the powerful Prohibitionist Party, made a deal with The Newhall Land and Farming Co. and bought 10,000 acres to start the dry community here in the Santa Clarita Valley. It never really got off the ground. Besides the fact that the SCV was one of the rowdiest spots in the West, the St. John Tract, as it was called then, mandated that if anyone built a home here, their land would be forfeited back to the seller if anyone was caught drinking on said property.
RE: THE ABOVE? — Well. Drinking alcohol …
BACHELORS CANYON IS HAUNTED — In 1893, Robert Farrell homesteaded up here in Plum Canyon. Farrell was publisher of the San Fernando Examiner. Around that time, by the way, Plum Canyon was also known as Bachelors Canyon. The long-standing local story was that Plum Canyon was seriously haunted.
STEAL SOMETHIING? LOSE YOUR HEAD. — It’s a small state. We’re quite famous for being home to the legendary womanizing pistol fighter and road agent, Tiburcio Vasquez. Shortly after fleeing Monterey for killing a young officer over the affections of a girl, Tibby hid in the hills of central California. There, he took up with an aging outlaw named Teodoro Moreno. Teo had learned his robbing ways from another famous outlaw, Joaquin Murietta. Joaquin, by the way, was captured and beheaded just a few miles north of here.
THE BROTHERS OF TIBURCIO VASQUEZ — Tiburcio had three brothers and two of them lived in the area. Francisco was a citizen of Rabbit Lake (today, Lake Elizabeth). Claudio lived in Soledad City (Agua Dulce/Acton today). While visiting Claudio one day in 1871, Tibby discovered the perfect hide-out, a place locals called, “The Rocks.” By 1876, it was called “Vasquez Rocks,” named after our dashing but evil friend. Tiburcio would build a house that would be smack dab in the middle of the State Route 14 freeway at Placerita Canyon (and, several feet below, as the freeway is raised). Vasquez also had a home on what is Railroad Avenue today in Downtown Newhall. Vasquez owned the property under the name of Ricardo Cantuga. His other spread was called Rancho Posa de Chane. Loosely translated, it means the melodic ringing of the oaks. Very poetic …
NOVEMBER 2, 1924
NO SUCH THING AS AN UNLOADED GUN — A likable ranch kid, Lee Romero, died on this date. It was yet another sad fable of failed gun safety. He fatally shot himself while cleaning a supposedly unloaded gun.
NOVEMBER 2, 1934
MONKEY-FACED OWL. GOOD BAND NAME. — Joe Garvin finally caught up with the predator who had been raiding his chicken coop. One night he heard a terrible ruckus and ran out to catch a huge “monkey-faced owl” wringing the neck of one of his Mallards. Garvin whacked the bird with a broom, stunning it. It stood about 2 feet tall and had a 5-foot wingspan. The poor bird spent the rest of his days in a cage.
NOVEMBER 2, 1944
HART’S PAPERBOY FILMS IN PLACERITA CANYON — One of the greatest Western novels was Owen Wister’s “The Virginian.” On this date, Paramount took over a good chunk of Placerita Canyon, installing a small railroad for the movie. The classic was filmed at Monogram Studios and starred Joel McCrea. Interesting tidbit. When he was a lad, McCrea was William S. Hart’s paperboy when the silent screen star lived in Hollywood.
NEVER BEEN RIDEN — We had an unusual date for the world-famous Saugus Rodeo. Because of the war, it was held in November. Five Spot and Will James were the featured stars of the Bonelli Ranch wild West show. They were two famed bucking broncos who had never been ridden for the full whistle. The Bonelli Ranch, by the way, is where the Saugus Speedway sits today on Soledad.
NOVEMBER 2, 1954
WORST-CASE SCENARIO DOORBELL — We weren’t immune from the Cold War here in Santa Clarita. On this date, a giant, rotating warning system was installed at the fire station on San Fernando Road (Railroad Avenue, today). The plaque read: “Atom Bomb Siren.” It sat on a pole and could be heard all the way across the valley.
AND DRAT, IT DOESN’T HELP TO WEAR AN ALUMINUM FOIL HAT — Here’s another first. On this date, the Newhall branch of the California Highway Patrol started using a brand spanking new device: the radar gun.
NOVEMBER 2, 1964
OF COURSE THE GUY WAS A DEMOCRAT — Talk about dirty politics — on this date, congressional candidate Ed Reinecke accused his Democratic opponent, Tom Bane, of publishing pornography. Seems Bane, while he was in the state Legislature, also held down a salesman’s job for a company that published, ahem, nudie-cutie material.
TRUE 60 YEARS AGO, TRUE TODAY — One of the most controversial opinion writers in this paper’s history was Count Marco. He ran a weekly “male chauvinist” feature called “Beauty & The Beast.” This week, 60 years back, Count M ordered all SCV women to make sure they massaged their husbands and menfolk after they came home from a hard day at “the money factory.” Quoth the Count: “Stretch him out on his back, first. Don’t forget to admire him.” After some other rather graphic details, Count Marco finished: “Massage his whole back, using firm, deep manipulations. Those grunts and groans of pure ecstasy are your beast’s love song of undying devotion to the most wonderful woman in the world — one who would take time to rub her man’s back.”
THANKS, NICK — The term, “chauvinist,” comes from the 17th-century Napoleonic loyalist, Nicholas Chauvin. He was famed for devotion to his boss and his name became a synonym for anyone wildly loyal to a cause or person.
NOVEMBER 2, 1974
THE HUNT FOR BIGFOOT CONTINUED — An unlikely group of big game hunters, trackers and paranormal experts wandered through the back canyons, looking for the legendary creature. Several residents were concerned that some of the hunters in the expedition (who were sporting automatic weapons) might kill the 10-foot-tall hairy beast. A spokesman for state Fish & Game confessed it wasn’t against the law to kill a Sasquatch, if one did exist. Despite all the hiking and hoopla, no Abominable Snowman was shot or even sighted in the valley by the troupe.
BOUQUET BIGFOOT? — That new high school under construction on Bouquet just had been given its name — Saugus. Without a student body, administrators still had to come up with a school mascot. With all the Bigfoot hubbub going on up the canyon, some residents suggested the “Saugus Sasquatches.”
PURINA BIGFOOT CHOW? — Of course, some folks were wondering if Bigfoot were involved in the disappearance of 59-year-old Thelma Gardes. She had turned up missing while hiking through the rugged part of Bear Divide. Tough country …
ACEDIA INCIPIT MANE — And, for those non-Catholics or fluid in Latin, “Apathy begins early.” College of the Canyons held its student body elections. Out of 2,500 registered students, only 118 showed up to vote.
THE DEPT. OF MORE BUTTHEADS IN GOVERNMENT — It had taken Nature centuries to grow the Lyons Avenue Oak. A county work crew needed just a half-hour to knock the giant down. A steady stream of traffic passed by the chain-sawing. Motorists yelled out, “Murderer!” and “Killer” to the work crews chopping down the tree. A chainsaw and tractor with a massive chain pulled the tree down. The tragic and completely dishonest issue was, county and state arborists swore the tree was rotten and dying. That was one of the compelling reasons why the tree was ordered taken down. When the stump was inspected, the tree was completely healthy. Despite the fact that Lyons Avenue could have easily weaved around the tree, the county ordered it removed so the street could be widened. A representative for our county supervisor said only a few people had contacted her office, and most of those complained that the grand oak was “ugly.” After the tree was felled, a young man walked to the stump and examined it closely. He nodded at the tree rings and said: “That’s when Abraham Lincoln was shot.” He pointed at another circle and noted: “That’s when our country was founded.”
NOT A GREAT PLACE TO REST ONE’S HEAD — Just about every place in town was a better spot to take a nap. On this date, after having several drinks at the Rendezvous Bar, John Hall wandered over to the railroad tracks across the street and laid his head on the tracks to take a quick nap. Despite the engineer locking the brakes nearly a half-mile away, the train still hit Hall.
NOVEMBER 2, 1984
JUST WHAT SAND CANYON NEEDS: MORE GIANT OPEN PITS — Wonder what would have happened to property values if this got the go-ahead. On this date, residents of my old neighborhood, Sand Canyon, heatedly — and that’s a kind and understated word — protested a proposed project near Live Oak Campground. Eureka Consolidated Development had petitioned the county to build an open pit mine there. Fortunately, it was never built.
AS FLOYD THE BARBER ON ‘ANDY OF MAYBERRY’ MANY TIMES SAID, “OHHHHHHHH, ANDY …!!!!” — Long before it became part of our cultural nomenclature, insurance agent Andy Martin was using the phrase, “Flip-flop.” Martin was running against former police chief Ed Davis for state Senate. The affable Democrat referred to his opponent and retired top cop as “Mr. Flip-Flop.” Every two years, without fail, my pal Andy, the colorful local insurance salesman, ran for just about every office available. He never thought he had a chance of winning, but noted all the free publicity this newspaper gave him on the front page was great for business.
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Well. Surely appreciate the companionship and camaraderie, dear friends and saddlepals. Happy early November and looking forward to seeing all y’all back here at The Mighty Signal hitching post with another absolutely wonderous Time Ranger adventure. Until then? “¡Vayan con Dios, amigos!”
Local historian and the world’s most prolific satirist/humorist just launched his multimedia website and online store, johnlovesamerica.com, this week. Check it out! Tell others …
