Happy first weekend in May, dear friends, neighbors, green newbies, grizzled vets and addendum saddlepals. On today’s ride through Santa Clarita history, we’ve got presidents and some of the weirdest juxtapositioning that it’s almost ghostly.
There’s movie stars, bootleggers, murders and the darn strangest migration of swallows that never made it to Capistrano.
C’mon, you rugged trail tramps and soft yuppies alike. Time to trek into yesteryear. If you’ve got a pony who answers to “Sunfisher,” best you explore a trade-in …
WAY, WAY BACK WHEN
BENNY BUT NO JETS — Back on April 25, 1891, President Benjamin Harrison whisked through the Saugus Train Depot when it was across the street from the present-day Saugus Cafe. “Little Ben,” as was his unasked-for nickname, was one of the shorter commanders-in-chief at 5-foot-6. He also was one of those presidents who lost the popular vote but won resoundingly in the electoral college, 233-168.
AND THERE WAS NO SUCH THING AS SELF CHECK-OUT — Same day, in 1906, the Bercaw General Store held its grand opening in Saugus.
THE REAL, BUT DEAD, McCOY — On May 2, 1884, two teenage brothers, McCoy and Everette Pyle, climbing around the hills of what would be Val Verde, discovered one of the most significant Indian artifact sites in American history. The cave they found would be named, oddly, Bowers Cave, in Chiquita Canyon, named after the Ventura amateur archaeologist and newspaper publisher who bought the boys’ cache. Bowers later sold his goodies to the Peabody Museum at Harvard where it still rests today. Poor “Mac.” Perhaps he suffered some Tataviam curse for raiding the tomb. When he first entered the cave, he wrote, in smoke, “Mac Coy, 1884.” He would become a local lawman and, just a few years later, some skunk snuck up behind him in Castaic, put a revolver to the back of his head and shot him dead.
MAY 3, 1925
THE UNEVEN SCALES OF JUSTICE? — Judge A.B. Perkins dished out a heap of jurisprudence in unequal containers. Four men were captured for having a booze party out in the middle of nowhere in one of our Saugus canyons. This was during Prohibition, when the making or consuming of alcohol was illegal via a constitutional amendment. When confronted by lawmen Jack Pilcher and Jim Biddison, one of the men said they found the bottles of moonshine growing in the wild shrubbery. Odd. When the partyers went before Perkins, one drew a very stiff $300 fine and the fourth was rapped with a penalty of $7.50.
THEFT PRONE — The stars were not aligned for rancher Walker of Acton. He was beset upon. While he was in local court, winning a settlement from a neighbor (the guy had swiped $100 worth of beehives and honey from him), someone stole his gas pump back at the farm.
WHEN ARABIA WAS PART OF PRE-CANYON COUNTRY— On this date, “The Lady Who Lied” was being filmed up Mint Canyon. Oddly, this wasn’t a Western. The producers used the rolling ranchland to simulate the desert of Arabia, complete with mountain ranges in the background. Palm trees and 18 camels were shipped in to add realism to the silent picture.
MAY 3, 1935
DUMBBELL BUT DESPERATE — You’d think with all those gun-toting cowboys hanging around by the squadron, a rodeo would be the last place on the planet you’d want to hold up in the 1930s. Joe Nazar had more greed than sense. The bozo went up to a ticket booth, grabbed some cash (AND tickets) and ran off. He made it just a few yards before both cowpokes and cops collared him.
TEETOTALING TEACHERS — Lead story 90 years back was: “Teachers Hold Happy Hour.” Back then, the phrase had a different meaning. The Happy Hour was a tea and cookies affair at the Newhall Woman’s Club. (Again, this isn’t a typo. For some reason lost in the dusty memories of time, when they formed the NWC in 1901, their charter was officially placed in the singular possessive — “Woman’s” club.)
MAY 3, 1945
HOW ANDY ALLENSWORTH FISHES — I’m betting my good saddlepal Andy wishes he could jump in a time machine and stay at this particular vista for more than a few days with a big net and truck full of ice. On this date, Fish and Game stocked Bouquet Creek with 10,000 trout 6 inches and longer. In the past, they had stocked the creek with fingerling-sized fishies.
DAD GOES OVER TO THE DARK SIDE — On this date, former Signal Editor A.B. Thatcher penned an editorial calling for the formation of a World Court. Odd stance, considering what an arch-conservative “Dad” was. Second interesting note: Thatcher, who would become the oldest-working journalist west of the Mississippi, wrote the piece for The Los Angeles Times, not The Mighty Signal. Mortal sin …
IN THE KEY OF R-RUPTURED FLAT, PLEASE — We held our world-famous rodeo, and silent film star William S. Hart penned a special song for the event. Went a little something like this: “Tie ‘em down cow waddies … tie ‘em down to stay … Step up to the window An’ get your pay … nothin’ else to it … less they run through your loop But Andy ain’t a-ropin’… so make it a scoop … if the calf is too heavy Or goes to sleep on his belly … to hell with it all … just holler for Bonelli!” “Big” Bill Bonelli was the über-rancher who owned the Saugus rodeo grounds that would later become the Saugus Speedway. Today, it’s destined for yet another generic yuppie concentration camp condo/shopping center development.
ALL COWBOY SONGS SOUND THE SAME MAYBE? — I sure hate to besmirch ol’ Two-Gun Bill, but that darn song he made up sure sounds like a familiar cowboy tune to which I edit the lyrics and still sing to my daughter — “They’re fiery and snuffy and rarin’ to go …”
MAY 3, 1955
AIN’T MUCH ANYTHING LOWER — There have been beeves slaughtered and butchered in the Santa Clarita Valley and even humans. But, to my knowledge, this was the first time horses were killed and cut up out here. On this date, deputies Smith and Davis responded to a call in Elsmere Canyon. Seems rustlers cut up a half-dozen fine horses. Motive? Probably to supply the bootleg dog food industry.
WOODWARD BUT NO BERNSTEIN — Another pioneer left Santa Clarita for the Great Beyond. Bob Woodward, who moved here in 1911 and owned the Saugus Cafe, died on this date. He was born in 1883 in Missouri where his father was a prominent cattle rancher. Of note, he opened the valley’s first newsstand and operated restaurants in Newhall, Lancaster and Placenta.
THE GREAT SWALLOW SUICIDE OF 1955 — Hard to believe, but we had a late spring rainstorm pass through, dumping nearly 3 inches of rain in two days and nearly 5 inches for the week. Here’s the amazing part. This storm hit heavy in Canyon Country and caught a large flock of migrating swallows. Thousands of the birds were killed in the pelting. Signal Editor Fred Trueblood’s telling painted a vivid picture:
“They were like miniature barnstorming aviators, putting on an aerial circus. They looped and barrel rolled, and almost flew upside down in their swirls and dips.
“When on Saturday afternoon, the cold rain began to pour down, they seemed not to try to make for cover, but continued to fly through the rain like a black cloud.
“Soon, an amazing sight took place as suddenly hundreds of birds began to fall into the lakes and onto the ground. The children of the neighborhood ran through the pelting rain, gathering as many of the live ones as possible and carrying them to places of shelter.”
It was estimated that thousands of the swallows, possibly migrating to Capistrano, were killed in the freak weather storm.
MAY 3, 1965
DIRTY COMMIE YOU-KNOW-WHATS — The Rev. James D. Colbert got his audience’s attention right off the bat with his opening: “The communists have conquered more people in 50 years than the missionaries of Jesus, our Lord, have converted in 2,000.” Colbert was a guest speaking at Newhall Elementary, talking about the evils of communism. Guess Colbert should have stuck around for the fourth quarter …
MAY 3, 1975
HECK OF A GAL — Leon Worden’s mom and dear lady, Connie Worden-Roberts, was named Woman of the Year. Then, in 2005, she was given the rare SCV Press Club’s Lifetime Achievement Award. I remember back in the day when we had that organization. Used to give out serious cash to local high school students who planned to have a career involving the First Amendment.
WHAT’S ON CHANNEL 13? — Three decades back, the first-ever TV Signal & Swap Mart was published. The local television log had Pat Boone on its first cover.
THE DEADLY DECADE — Easily the 1970s were the bloodiest decade in Santa Clarita history. On this date, a Sun Valley woman who managed an antique shop near the Saugus Cafe was murdered, shot in the head at the shop by an unknown assailant.
THE INTERSTATE 5 AIRSTRIP — Somewhere, there should be a sign: Interstate International Airport. On this date, Wayne Nelson made an emergency landing on I-5 in his 1953 Piper Club. Seems Nelson, a West Covina resident, had just bought the secondhand plane in Fresno. The engine died over Gorman and he was forced to make an amazing landing on the freeway, narrowly missing chewing up a car in front of him.
MAY 3, 1985
THE INTERSTATE 5 AIRSTRIP, CRIPES, PART 2? — This is positively surreal. Nearly 10 years later to the day, ANOTHER small Piper plane crashed in the Santa Clarita Valley in almost the same spot as the first. While the pilot walked away with his life and no injuries in the 1975 crash, the occupants of the 1985 ill-fated flight weren’t so lucky. All five aboard died right next to Interstate 5. Eerily still — the second plane took off from the same Fresno airport as the Piper in 1975.
MAYBE NEXT TIME THEY SHOULD TRY NAILING THE ROOF DOWN — This was the week for odd happenstance. On this date, gusty winds blew off the roof of Newhall Ice. In the 1950s, a small tornado set down in Downtown Newhall, lifting the entire roof completely off and setting it almost on top of the railroad tracks.
THANKS TO TOM, FRANK & ED — Some forgotten names we’ll try to keep alive: on this date, they dedicated the new Los Pinetos and Waterfall trails at Placerita Canyon park. Volunteers Tom Summerville, Frank McDaniel and Ed Schullery helped map those trails many of us still hike today.
• • •
As my dear chum since the Pleistocene and, if considering previous lives, possibly earlier, John Duarte once noted in a Hart High essay from 1966, “Time, like your uncle, is relative.” That said, we’ve ridden full circle and are right smack dab in the Santa Clarita of the divine Here & Now. Thanks for the company, dear saddlepals. See you in seven with another exciting Time Ranger adventure. Until then? I bade you a fond and sincere — vayan con Dios, amigos!
Local historian and the world’s most prolific satirist/humorist John Boston hosts an eclectic bookstore and multimedia/commentary website at johnlovesamerica.com/bookstore. Pick up his two-volume set on SCV ghosts, maniacs, murderers and monsters about America’s most-haunted town — the Santa Clarita Valley — and other books.
