A happy first Saturday of June, in the Year of our Lord, 2025. I put, “Year of our Lord” just to irritate any ACLU attorneys who happen to be trailing our posse this morning. Heavens, how these dates keep advancing.
But, lucky us, we have a remedy in the form of hopping on a horse and traveling back into yesteryear.
We’ve a most interesting trek ahead on our history trail ride. Shall we mount up and see where the scenery used to be?
WAY, WAY BACK WHEN
OUR ANCIENT OAK WAS NO MORE — About 500 years back, Leonardo da Vinci painted his famous “La Gioconda” — you might know it as “The Mona Lisa.” Around the same time, Martin Luther was writing his “95 Theses” and a sapling popped out of the ground near present-day Bouquet Canyon and Newhall Ranch roads. A half-millennia later, in early June 1985, an on-field “accident” by The Newhall Land & Farming Co. chopped down the little sapling that had grown into a gigantic oak. A young pup of a junior executive at Newhall Land issued an apology. The oak was felled by mistake during the grading for a future Newhall Ranch Road. The epic flora was in the blueprints to be cut down, but Newhall Land hadn’t gotten the permits yet.
BARE NAKED LADIES IN CANYON COUNTRY — In the early 20th century a retired L.A. Police Department officer built himself an 8-by-12 building at Sierra and Soledad Canyon. The little general store was alternatingly called Simmon’s or Thompson’s. It was sold in 1945 to Alf Clark, who stocked the newly named Solemint Store with all manner of basics and unmentionables, including naughty lady postcards in the back.
DEER ME — Speaking of Canyon Country, a relative of pioneer freighter Remi Nadeau started a renowned deer farm at the turn of the 20th century. His plan was to have every breed of deer in the world grazing there. Nadeau was well on his way when an epidemic wiped out most of the diverse herd. The Nadeaus sold the 1,800-acre ranch (I believe in the early 1930s or thereabouts) to Helm Schmidt. Helm had an airport on his spread. His brand was 6S — which stood for six Schmidts. In 1960, Jerry Snyder bought the land and built something called North Oaks.
JUNE 7, 1925
JUNE. THE SCV’S RAINY SEASON — Hard to believe, but we had three days of heavy rain the first week in June 1925. Coupled with the unusual late precipitation of May and more heavy June fog visits, it made the alfalfa cutting season a drudgery. Still, farmers were happy, despite the heavy, wet feed. Charley Kellogg harvested 100 tons of oats in Saugus.
THE END OF MAY COMES QUIETLY — Memorial Day weekend passed without any local fanfare. We didn’t have any sort of official military organization post or even a cemetery to hold services in 1925. One local estimated that “a couple of thousand” cars must have passed through Newhall.
ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS PROFESSION — A. Christopace was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was working an oil rig in Pico Canyon when a big steel hook broke in half, hitting him in the head. The man died leaving a wife and four small children.
THE MAGIC MEMORIAL DAY & THE MIGHTY SIGNAL — There really must be something magical about the Memorial Day weekend and The Mighty Signal. We held our groundbreaking on Creekside Road 40 years ago and moved again from San Fernando Road in 1951 to 6th Street. Back in 1925, this was the day that A.B. “Dad” Thatcher, a local real estate salesman, bought the paper from Blanche Brown. William Stonecypher, who ran the presses and did a little reporting, was also co-publisher-owner.
ONE HECK OF AN AWFUL FIRST WEEK FOR A DEPUTY — John Seltzer was appointed deputy constable up this way, a century ago. He would have the worst week of his life for, a few days later, rookie Seltzer would kill his partner, nationally renowned lawman, Deputy Jack Pilcher. It was one of the most bizarre accidents in local history. That’s a ton of paperwork. We’ll revisit that trail next week in its entirety, compadres …
JUNE 1, 1926
OUR FIRST HOSPITAL — Interestingly, Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital held its ribbon cutting Memorial Day weekend in 1975. On June 1, 1926, Dr. Sarah Peters opened her medical offices in Newhall. They would later become Newhall Community Hospital at the corner of 6th and San Fernando Road.
JUNE 7, 1935
CIVILIZATION CONTINUES ITS SLOW CREEP — A relatively new invention, the divided road, began popping up in the SCV. One local commented about a new stretched of paved pathway in town with a line down the middle. “The ‘white line’ was put down on the new highway,” the old-timer noted. “Now, every fellow is expected to ‘shinny on his side’ if he wants to keep out of trouble. The line machine is an ingenious contrivance that enables the crew to put down several miles a day.” Imagine the pace of life in a small town where the highlight of the day is to watch them paint divider lines …
JUNE 7, 1945
THE OLD MAN OF THE WOODS — An aging hermit living in the wilds above Castaic was responsible for capturing an escaped prisoner from San Quentin. The nameless old-timer, who lived outdoors, walked 20 miles through rugged terrain to find a California Highway Patrol officer to report the con’s whereabouts. A running gunbattle ended in the prisoner’s capture and the hermit just disappeared back into the wilderness.
JUNE 7, 1955
JUNE GLOOM: MY FAVORITE SEASON — More June Gloom. The fog turned to a light rain 70 years back during the William S. Hart Boys Baseball season opener. A big crowd braved the cold weather to see a double header.
ONE DEAD DIRTY DOG — Axel Hagman of the old Burbank Dairy in Placerita Canyon bagged himself a dog out of season. A giant boxer mix had mangled several calves and Hagman caught him in the act. The dairyman sent the cattle mutilating mutt to Puppy Heaven.
WITHOUT A REBEL YELL — A certain “Texican” in Newhall hoisted a Confederate flag over his house on Memorial Day. He got a call from a sheriff’s deputy who made him take it down.
MILLIONS OF ‘CUTE SECRETARIES’ OUT OF WORK? — Signal Editor Fred Trueblood commented on a new device being used in Newhall. It was called the Telephone Answering Machine. Trueblood lamented that the device might replace a cute secretary “filling up your glass at the Christmas office party.”
JUNE 7, 1965
MISSED DEATH BY SECONDS — Barbara Swanson pert near had her heart in her throat 60 years back. Her Corvair stalled on the railroad tracks just as a freight train was rushing toward her. She leapt to safety at the last minute and her car was crushed.
PICKERS WANTED — The F&P (Fillmore & Piru) Growers Association was running ads all over the valley, trying to hire citrus pickers. A quarter-page ad promised steady work and “Furnished Transportation from Newhall to Piru and Back if Sufficient Number.”
HOW I EARNED MONEY IN JUNIOR HIGH — Sixty years ago, Cassius Clay (later, he’d change his name to Muhammad Ali) upset Sonny Liston to take the heavyweight boxing title. The Signal’s Man on the Street question was what locals thought of professional boxing. Most thought it was fixed. (Personally, I didn’t care. I won $30 betting on Clay when I attended Placerita Junior High and no, coach Fran Wrage, I ain’t giving it back).
GREG THREW MAJOR HEAT — One of the best athletes to ever live in the SCV was Greg Garrett. He was Frontier League player of the year, striking out half of all the batters he faced for the season.
JUNE 7, 1975
THE ART OF BEING SHEEPISH — The face of the valley has changed so quickly. We tend to romanticize the past, but I always got a kick out of seeing the huge flocks of sheep that use to graze in the Santa Clarita. On this date, several hundred of them were being herded down the middle of Bouquet Canyon Road to new pasture. Caused quite a traffic jam of a dozen or so cars …
DOES THAT MAKE THE HORSES MARRIED, TOO? — Speaking of rural, Michele McCloud and Dean Hawkins were married in Placerita Canyon on this date. What’s so unusual about that? The ceremony was on horseback.
THE MIGHTY SANTA CLARA RIVER — Ah, Congress. On this date, the U.S. House of Representatives declared that the Santa Clara’s designation as a “navigable river” would stay intact. Why? Because of a series of complicated pieces of legislation concerning sewage treatment. Despite the fact there has never been a ship to sail or locomote up or down (very far) the creek, Congress had to keep the SCR under navigable status because it simply would cost too much money to change all the paperwork.
THE KARATE KID — Sheriff’s deputy Don Hazel at 212 pounds just about got his clock cleaned — by a 110-pound teen-age girl. Hazel responded to a call about a teenager challenging traffic by “karate attacking” it. When he got to the scene, there was a girl in a karate stance. When he tried to get her out of the center of Lyons Avenue, she literally flipped him through the air and then wrestled him to the pavement. Two passing motorists helped Hazel subdue the lass. She was taken to Olive View for psychiatric evaluation. Heck. They should have mimeographed her diet and training regimen while they were at it.
WORLD’S BEST BARTENDER LIVED RIGHT HERE — Bobby Batugo, Tip’s famed mixologist, won another national title as best bartender on this date. Tip’s was the world-famous restaurant at the top of Pico Canyon, right at the Interstate 5 freeway onramp. It was exactly where International House of Pancakes is today and people would drive from all over Southern California for dinner and drinks. I assure you. Both were yummy …
JUNE 7, 1985
NAOMI: OUR VERY OWN RAIDERETTE — There’s not too many of these creatures around. Naomi Weinstein, 18, who had been cheerleading locally since she was 3, was named to the Los Angeles Raiders pep squad.
• • •
There are weekends I truly wish we could all just stay and play in the simpler times of yesteryear. Alas, reality beckons. On the bright side, we shall play again next Saturday with another exciting Time Ranger adventure, and, until then — 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.
