Top of a fine June morn, o fellow riders into the outback of local history.
We’ve a most interesting trail ahead, filled with gunfights, “grizzer” bears and one of the saddest — and oddest — days in local law enforcement.
Firm but gentle on those reins and into the mystic go we …
WAY, WAY BACK WHEN
FROM TEETOTALER TO AMAZON — Back on this date in 1851, Henry Clay Needham was born in Kentucky. He would later move to Newhall to start an ill-fated “dry” community here — a tough job in a valley that had many more pool halls and taverns than churches (zero). As a nationally famed Prohibitionist, Needham ran for just about every office available, from California Senate to the presidency three times. Needham’s ranch today? It’s that big industrial park with the Amazon warehouses up on the hill just south of Newhall Avenue.
THE TOWN NAMED AFTER A FILTHY GROCER — The Civil War had only been over for three years when the Soledad Post Office was founded on June 12, 1868. The birth was rather complicated. Soledad was this floating tent city that followed the latest gold or silver strike up and down the Santa Clara River and Soledad Canyon. The population would shrink to less than 100 and grow to over 1,000, depending on how hot the strikes were. In trying to establish a post office, the federal government noted that Soledad would have to establish roots and change their name. It seems there was a Soledad in Northern California and postal officials did not want to get the mail confused. Well. More confused. A federal official was talking with a store owner, Jim O’Reilly. At the time, there was a semi-permanent settlement halfway between modern Agua Dulce and Acton. The postal official asked O’Reilly on the spot to name the settlement. O’Reilly then saw his friend, Manuel Ravenna, a Genoan stage owner and businessman, walk by. And so the community was named. Up until the early 1970s, that area was still called Ravenna. It’s a campground today. Ravenna still appears on many maps.
KILLER HIGHWAY — It would become one of the world’s most dangerous highways. On June 15, 1912, construction on the Ridge Route began. When it was first opened, the grades were so steep, big rig trucks could only climb up at a rate of 2 mph. Downhill was a nightmare as many braking systems for the bigger vehicles would break but not brake. One wag of the day noted that the ride from Newhall to Bakersfield was so dangerous, “survivors would write adventure books about it.”
PURINA BEAR CHOW — John Kuhrts was a local rancher who kept an interesting diary about the Santa Clarita Valley in the later part of the 19th century. He noted that in July 1887, he and John Searles took a big mule team from San Francisco through Newhall. Searles would later be attacked by a giant grizzly bear and nearly have his face torn off near Frazier Park.
JUNE 14, 1925
THE STRANGE DEATH OF A FAMOUS LAWMAN — This was one of the oddest and darkest days in local law enforcement history. On this date, nationally renowned constable John “Jack” Pilcher died under the most unusual circumstances. The week before, he had hired on a rookie, John Seltzer. Pilcher, his son, Seltzer and constable Biddison were investigating a break-in at the old Gage Ranch, which was about 3 miles north of the Saugus Cafe. Robbers had taken doors and windows earlier and the lawmen were there to see if the thieves had returned. When the group got to the ranch house, they found no one there, but spotted a large lizard running into the house. Pilcher and Seltzer were trying to chase the reptile out of the bedroom. When Seltzer hired on a few days earlier, Pilcher lent him a revolver and old-fashioned shoulder holster. Both men bent over at the same time on opposite ends of the bed to see where the lizard was. That’s when Pilcher’s own gun fell from the loose holster, hit the floor and discharged. Pilcher was shot between the eyes and died on the spot. I’ve read recounts that the Ku Klux Klan paid for his funeral.
One wonders if there was some curse on the poor Pilcher family. A little over a year later, John Pilcher Jr. was trying to fix a flagpole at their home when the flagpole snapped at about 6 feet from the ground. The young man fell, was impaled on the stake and died instantly.
Another odd happenstance: Pilcher’s old crime-fighting partner, Deputy Sheriff Ed Brown (no relation to the first Signal editor) was murdered about a year earlier in a shootout up Pine Street. Pilcher shot Brown’s assailant, local handyman Gus LeBrun.
DOING THE OILMAN JIG — The Petroleum Pioneers, a local group of oilmen, planned to build a park between present-day Beale’s Cut and Eternal Valley cemetery. The campgrounds were supposed to have an amphitheater, dance floor, bandstand and picnic and camping grounds.
JUNE? THE RAINY SEASON?? — One of the weirdest weather patterns in modern history continued. We had a long series of rainstorms pelt the valley so very late in the season. It started in May and continued all the way into mid-June, with the valley being drenched and shaken with thunder and lightning.
BUILDING THE BOUQUET BRIDGE — Lumber arrived for two more bridges to span the Santa Clara River. A big pile driver rolled into town to help make the new 200-foot-long wooden Bouquet Junction Bridge.
PURPLE TOM — Tom Mix starred in “Rainbow Trail” down at the Cody Theater in San Fernando. It was the sequel to “Riders of the Purple Sage.” Mix’s horse, Tony (a Placerita Canyon native), got second billing in the flick.
JUNE 14, 1935
PREPPING FOR SCV’S INDEPENDENCE DAY — The Fourth of July celebration in the 1930s was called Placeritos Days and the committee members were planning not just the parade, but the festivities. Some of the events included a buggy race (which they used to have here in the 1890s Fourth of July celebrations). Seems that by 1935, locals still owned a lot of horses but they didn’t want to race them. Another race involved boys and girls. They’d race to separate dressing rooms, exchange clothes, get dressed and run back. The committee also planned a baseball game and a variety of tennis and boxing matches.
A CINDERELLA BOXING STORY — It was actually 20 years back when that wonderful movie, “Cinderella Man” was playing at The Edwards. Ninety years back this week, James Braddock, the popular but huge underdog the movie was based on, knocked out Max Baer for the heavyweight title of the world. Like most of the country, locals were glued to their radios. Signal Editor A.B. Thatcher commented: “Max Baer evidently didn’t Baer down hard enough in his fight.”
PICKING UP A NICE BIT OF CHANGE DURING THE DEPRESSION — Ted Cooke had a Beverly Hillbillies moment. He struck a major oil lake in Placerita Canyon and his two lone wells were pumping out 980 and 1,100 barrels of crude a day.
JUNE 14, 1945
THE SCV WAS STILL AT WAR WITH JAPAN — Germany had surrendered and all that was left was finishing the war with Japan. The Empire of the Sun had reportedly launched a series of balloons to ride the air currents into the Western United States. The Santa Clarita Valley was warned that it was a prime spot for the balloons to land and also told locals not to pick up or touch anything that resembled a balloon.
WONDER WHO WERE THE TWO CURMUGEONS WHO VOTED AGAINST THE HIGH SCHOOL? — On this date, the results were posted for the bond issue to form the brand spanking new William S. Hart Union High School District. The measure was the most lopsided in the history of the valley. Get this. It passed — 432-2. In fact, the measure passed unanimously at the Castaic, Saugus and Sulphur Springs districts. The two dissenting votes were cast in Newhall.
JUNE 14, 1955
THE ICE MAN SCARETH — I just LOVE the little village aspect of this tidbit from 1955. A small cyclone set down in Newhall, ripping off the roof to Newhall Ice on 5th Street. Clarence Martin was working inside when he heard the corrugated roof begin to strain and buckle. Then, he felt the wind being sucked out of his lungs. The whole episode was witnessed by a highway patrolman, who watched from his prowl car as debris and the roof lifted and flew across Railroad Avenue, landing on both the tracks and on the other side of them.
The wonderful small-town suchness of this was, afterward, a cozy mob walked over to the manager’s house who was home eating lunch. When they informed him a tornado had taken off the roof, he calmly replied that after he finished his lunch, he’d mosey over to inspect the damage.
SPEAKING OF SMALL-TOWN SUCHNESS — Seventy years back, there were no junior highs or continuation schools. The local high school district had just one school: Hart. On June 15, they graduated 72 seniors.
URANIUM KILLS — It was the 1950s version of the gold rush. Uranium mining was big in the SCV. Amateur hunters for the powerful mineral used to comb the hills, seeking instant wealth. One prospector nearly died looking for the precious stuff. On this date, an exhausted, delirious and nearly dead Thurston Day was found by a sheriff’s mounted posse. His tongue was black.
JUNE 14, 1965
HIGH SCHOOL STATS — Just 10 years later, 290 seniors graduated from the only high school in town. Here’s some interesting stats from the class of ’65: one boy and three girls were already married. Two boys and 21 girls were engaged. That worked out to one girl in four from the graduating class was either engaged or married. Eighteen percent of the class went on to four-year universities and 40% entered junior college. Twenty kids went to tech schools and five more to business schools. Five girls indicated they would just stay home and keep house.
PICK UP YOUR MAIL, PICK UP YOUR HORSEY OATS — The Agua Dulce Post Office moved on this date into the Vasquez Hay & Grain Store, next to Boston Hardware.
JUNE 14, 1975
JERKS WALK AMONGST US — My list of what should constitute a death penalty seems to grow as the years compile. I might be sorely tempted to add the vandals who destroyed a 500,000-gallon water tank above Deane Homes (aka, Sierra Hills). A new water tank that size back then cost around $100,000 and you know who got stuck with the bill: the customers of Santa Clarita Water Co.
TWO ODD HAPPENSTANCES OF DEATH — The odds against this were staggering. Nonetheless, it happened. Two people were killed in two separate pistol accidents. A 34-year-old sheriff’s deputy, who lived with his mother, was in the kitchen, cleaning his service revolver, when it went off. A bullet went through his mother’s head. A few miles away, two Beverly Hills boys were target shooting in Texas Canyon. As the pair were headed to their car, a hair trigger of a pistol went off, hitting one of the friends in the back of the neck. He, too, died instantly. Ironic that these accidents occurred 50 years after the accidental death of Jack Pilcher. Odd, too, that Pilcher died close to Bouquet Canyon, near the scene where the Beverly Hills boy died.
WHERE THERE WAS ONE NOW THERE WAS THREE — By 1975, there were three high schools in the valley. Nine hundred seniors graduated from Hart, Canyon and Bowman.
JUNE 14, 1985
THOMAS WILSON WALKED INTO THE WRONG SALOON — On this date, the Granada Hills resident was thrown out of the Ramp II restaurant for being rowdy. He came back a few minutes later brandishing a shotgun. What Wilson didn’t know was that sitting in the pub were 10 off-duty sheriff’s deputies. They announced who they were and ordered him to put the gun down. When he continued to wave the weapon around the crowded restaurant, he was shot by three deputies. He was taken to Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital in critical condition. He would later die.
GETTING HOME ALIVE — After nearly a year of delays, Safe Rides opened. That’s the local program where youths who had been partying a little too hearty could call and get a ride home. The service was operated by teenagers, for teenagers. After 32 years of wonderful service, it closed down in 2018.
AND ONE OF THE BEST GUYS EVER TO WALK THE SCV TRAILS — Wonder if The Newhall Land & Farming Co. was drinking when they made this announcement 40 years ago yesterday. That’s when my dear amigo, Tom Lee (the ex-sailor, not the drummer for Motley Crue) was named president and CEO of The Mother Ship. Tom received his bachelor’s degree from DeVry Business Schools via the federal mails. A possible correction on Tom’s educational and professional background may follow sometime in the near-to-medium future.
• • •
You dear amigos take good care of yourselves and others. I do treasure these weekend rides with you all and I vote we do it again next Saturday. Or, whenever you’re in the mood because you can either go online anytime or unfold The Mighty Signal and read all about it any time you jolly like. See you in seven 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.
