It’s simply amazing how fast the month of January disappears. Here we are, last Saturday of 2025. Good thing for us we have the luxury of time travel.
This fine weekend morning? Well. First-off, there’s a local porn producer at whom to shake our heads and go, “Tsk, tsk, tsk …” There’s Michael Jackson, wandering incognito through Magic Mountain and then there’s the usual spate of mayhem, firsts and genuine Santa Clarita gee-whiz information.
Nothing better than that satisfying creak of saddle leather when you’re swinging up atop a fine, tall horse. Shall we go moseying to less crowded climes?
WAY, WAY BACK WHEN
OUR LONG-AGO CAMEL PARADE — One of the valley’s most controversial characters, Gen. Edward Fitzgerald Beale, left Los Angeles headed for Newhall on Jan. 30, 1858. He was riding a procession of Egyptian camels. They were part of a plan to patrol the vast stretches of California badlands. The experiment folded for several reasons. First, the Civil War came along. Second, the camels’ dispositions and feet were not suited to California topography. Local riders had trouble navigating the African beasts and their poor camels’ footpads were suited for soft sand, not the rocky topsoil of Southern California.
AGUA MALO — Back on Jan. 28, 1850, Agua Dulce rancher and miner Bill Robinson died after drinking too much cold water from the Santa Clara River up Soledad.
OUR LITTLE CHICKADEE — On Jan. 29, 1880, famed comedian W.C. Fields was born in Pennsylvania. Off and on, he lived at the top of 8th Street in Newhall. The house is still there. Also, the wooden house used in his “My Little Chickadee” flick from 1940 is still at Melody Ranch in Placerita Canyon. It almost burned down in the great 1962 Placerita Fire, but, along with others on the bucket brigade was Elvis Presley, who was at Melody that day, shooting a commercial.
MORE W.C. FIELDS TRIVIA — The famed acrobat and comedy legend was an early proponent of Black rights. He kicked out a visitor to his home who used the N-word within earshot of his cook, who was Black. Fields also paid off the $4,000 mortgage on his chef’s home. He’s in the Jugglers’ Hall of Fame and in his early years, to earn money, was a tennis hustler. He used to play “hobo golf” with William S. Hart, his neighbor. They’d play 18 “holes,” which were targets in the sagebrush at Hart’s ranch that included tree stumps, old tires and farm equipment. His anti-children demeanor was just an act. He loved kids. The Newhall resident was a great cartoonist and dancer, although he had a lifelong hatred of music due to his alcoholic father’s singing.
FEBRUARY 1, 1925
THE ROMANCE LANGUAGE KITCHEN? — On this date, Mrs. Bob Anderson, wife of the famed Western silent movie producer and actor “Cowboy” Bob Anderson, opened up The Spanish Kitchen. It was billed as an authentic Mexican restaurant and located at the corner of present-day Railroad and Lyons avenues. The Merchant’s Lunch of soup, salad, meat, vegetables, pie and coffee cost just 50 cents. If you mentioned The Mighty Signal, they doled out free tamales. Hmmm. You’d think they would have called it The Mexican Kitchen …
FEBRUARY 1, 1935
THE KILLER OLD ROAD — The new Highway 99/Weldon Canyon Road was still brand new and its statistics were chilling. There were 192 accidents along its asphalt ribbon the two previous years. Of that total, 79 were fatalities.
ALMOST A CENTURY LATER? STILL DON’T PICK UP HITCHIKERS — Joe Adkins of Paradise Ranch up in Castaic obliged himself of a very dumb idea. He picked up four very tough-looking hitchhikers who then robbed him of $20 and stole his car.
LOTS OF LAWYERS, TAKING LONG LUNCHES AND BILLING US FOR THEM — On this date, The Mighty Signal came out against the United States joining the proposed new World Court. Doggone if they didn’t listen to us.
‘WHAT HAVE YOU’ FOR SALE — I love the small-town aspect of this little classified ad we ran 90 years back: “FOR SALE — One lot close to school. $250 cash or will trade for livestock or what have you. Art Brown, Newhall.”
FEBRUARY 1, 1945
MAIL IT IN — On this date, the community of Agua Dulce got their own post office. The postmaster gave Ben Sciarra the go-ahead to set up the federal shop in his store.
FEBRUARY 1, 1955
X-RATED ROSS & CONNIE LaRUE — I’ve always thought there’s something funny about photographers. On this date, local Ross Rogers Wylie was convicted of making pornographic movies. When not making blue movies, Ross ran Newhall’s only photo store. Because he was a war vet with a good record, he drew a suspended sentence. His leading man and lady, however, did time — dare I say — in the pokey. I think you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who didn’t smirk at the name of the male porn star: Stergos Sam Stamation. His female lead also has a pretty swank handle: Miss Connie LaRue Armstrong.
SAY, ‘CHEESECAKE!!’ — Ah, the good old days. At the Dru-Marie Bakery on San Fernando Road, today’s Main Street in Newhall, you could buy an entire cheesecake for 65 cents. With 13 bucks, you could do some serious caloric damage.
FEBRUARY 1, 1965
BEWARE THE TRAINS — Here’s some darkly ironic timing. On this date, the State Division of Highways recommended that two railroad crossings be put in at Market Street and 13th Street. The SDH noted the intersections were terribly dangerous.
A DEEP SIGNAL OPED PIECE — Here is The Mighty Signal editorial, in its entirety. It was titled: “A Brief Comment.” It reads: “Our editorial comment this week is both brief and (we think) constructive. Why doesn’t somebody open up a three-minute car wash in this area? The first person who does would make a fortune.” Well that was just deep and hard-hitting.
SANTA RAPIST/THIEVING/MURDERER VALLEY — Former Signal owner Fred Trueblood II jousted with new owner Scott Newhall. Scotty had been behind a movement to get an official name for the valley. His own particular taste ran to: Valencia Valley. Fred thought that was about as pleasing as: Persimmon Valley. Trueblood didn’t particularly like “Santa Clarita,” either, pointing out that he didn’t like the idea of us being seen as little. (The “ita” is from the Spanish, meaning “small.”) FT2’s idea? Call ourselves “Vasquez Valley” after the famed bandit.
FEBRUARY 1, 1975
THE STEVENSON RANCH WORLD FAIR? — Big surprise. The Chamber of Commerce came out in favor of hosting the 1980 World’s Fair in Pico Canyon. Nearly 200 members of the chamber crammed into Sir George’s restaurant in Friendly Valley to salivate over some numbers. The World’s Fair would bring in an estimated $10-$15 billion in revenues to L.A. County, with many of those sticking right here in Santa Clarita. Of course, we never got the fair here. It ended up in Tennessee.
NOT SO LUCKY — Kail Lynn Walker never made it home from a Veterans of Foreign Wars meeting in the valley. He was speeding back to Newhall, reportedly hitting speeds over 80 mph on his motorcycle. Two plainclothes LAPD officers, in an unmarked vehicle with no lights or siren, pulled up next to him and flashed a spotlight on Walker. They reported when they stopped, he came after them with a crescent wrench. Identifying themselves as police, both opened fire, killing the 27-year-old man. A darkly ironic note. Walker’s nickname was “Lucky.”
IT AIN’T HAY — Many local residents were forced to cut back on owning their four-footed friends. Even Hart Park had to cut back on its vegetarian pals. A huge spike in feed prices caused the park to get rid of several buffalo, goats and rabbits. Alfalfa, for example, went from $35 to $90 in a short time.
THE CRIMINALS AMONGST US — We just got our crime stats from 1974. Overall major crimes fell 9% in Santa Clarita from the previous year. However, there were nearly twice as many forcible rapes reported. That number went from 13 to 24.
FEBRUARY 1, 1985
THE MISSING LITTLE SOULS — This is truly a sad but heroic landmark. On this date, Alta-Dena Dairy and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department began the program of putting missing children’s faces on the sides of milk cartons. There were 3,500 cases of missing juveniles in 1984. Alta-Dena spread some of the photographs on over 400,000 cartons.
MAYOR GEORGE — On this date, Wayside (today, Pitchess Detention Center) Capt. George Pederson retired. We hate to say, George would eventually go to the dark side. Yes. He went into politics and eventually became one of Santa Clarita’s first mayors.
HOW MANY BOXES OF COOKIES CAN YOU FIT IN A SADDLEBAG? — Ah, the good old days. The Girl Scouts were out in force in Agua Dulce, going home to home selling their cookies. What’s so unusual about that? Many of them performed their appointed rounds on horseback.
BEFORE THE DAYS OF CELLPHONES — Ah, the good old days, Part 2. On this date, three years after the break-up of the 107-year-old monopoly of AT&T, local residents were given their choice of long-distance providers.
BEFORE THE TALIBAN — Funny how time twists things. On this date, Supervisor Mike Antonovich called on county residents to send money to help Afghan freedom fighters in their battle against the Soviets.
THE MOONWALKING YEE-HEE ONE — On this date, The Gloved One, Michael Jackson, called Magic Mountain and asked if he could visit the amusement park and enjoy it anonymously. The Hump granted the superstar’s wish. But soon, Jackson was recognized and mobbed by fans. He had to be rescued by security and taken home in a van. Interestingly, actor Dustin Hoffman used to frequent the local park quite a bit. When he was recognized, the Oscar-winner would wave and sign autographs.
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Thanks so much for the companionship, dear compadres. Looking forward to riding with you next week for another exciting Time Ranger adventure. Until then? “¡Vayan con Dios, amigos!”
Local historian and the world’s most prolific satirist/humorist John Boston hosts an eclectic online store, bookstore and multimedia & commentary website at johnlovesamerica.com.