I think this is a first.
We’ve got Satan himself scheduled to appear on our trek into yesteryear.
I know that’s hard to top, but there’s also Superman, Columbo and the publisher of The Los Angeles Times ahead, not to mention heck-like heat waves, Hart’s first school day and a look at the huge Santa Clarita Valley movie colony before Placerita.
Do you find it odd that people use the phrase, “Not to mention,” and then, go ahead and mention it anyway?
Oh. Before we mosey forward, all of you time riders be kind enough to welcome a new and permanent saddlepal to our posse. I’d tease that Placerita Principal Jim Tanner was from Nebraska. He’s from Colorado, but I’d just put it in print over the decades just to irritate him. Grand darn fellow, that Mr. Tanner. Treat to have you with us, dear amigo.
WAY, WAY BACK WHEN
LOCAL BOY MAKES GOOD — I always like it when a SClaritan makes it big time. Back on Sept. 10, 1879, a young Newhall oil man, Demetrius Scofield, formed the Pacific Coast Oil Co. Later, Demmy moved his holdings up the road a smidge to Santa Paula. Betcha you recognize his new company’s name — Standard Oil of California.
IT MEANS, ‘BADGER’ — Fort Tejon, the citadel that for a few short years tried to protect folks for a thousand square miles from outlaws and Indian attacks, was abandoned on Sept. 11, 1864.
SEEMS LIKE YESTERDAY — Just 238 years and a day ago, Father Lasuen officially dedicated the Mission San Fernando Rey de España. Last we heard, Spain hasn’t been helping out much with the property.
THAT’S A TON & THEN SOME OF CANDLES — Happy birthday to us, statewide. It was California’s birthday Sept. 9. We turned 175. This is usually not the kind of thing you bring up around the birthday cake, but in its first two years in existence, the No. 1 expenditure for the 31st state was for the eradication of Indians. The state’s very first governor would resign in a huff when Washington didn’t send in troops to complete the job.
GUESS THEY WEREN’T ON FACEBOOK — About California’s birthday: While Sept. 9, 1850, is Admission Day, California didn’t know it had become a state until October when word from Washington reached here.
FRENCHY & NATHALIE, PLUS SIX — Around 1908, rancher Frank “Frenchy” LaSalle bought some land near the present-day Calgrove Boulevard offramp. Three years later, he would marry a girl who caught his eye, Miss Nathalie Jauglard. They would eventually grow the spread to over 1,000 acres and add six daughters.
For years, there was only a horse trail bisecting the ranch, but in 1929, the state started a new highway that would eventually become Highway 99 and, today, The Old Road. The old spread used to have a natural lake that was eventually expanded where thousands of sheep drew water. LaSalle supplemented his income with some cattle, but made a nice chunk of change leasing his ranch to movie companies. Possibly 100 or more Westerns were filmed there.
The planet’s most famous human, Tom Mix, would stay there sometimes for two or three months while filming.
LaSalle at one point had three full Western sets on his land. LaSalle really cornered the market, too. The film companies rented his horses, cattle and sheep for their films and LaSalle’s daughters acted as stunt doubles for the leading ladies (and a couple of times, for leading MEN!).
Long before the Screen Actors Guild, show business money wasn’t that glamorous. The girls would sometimes have to make breakfast, lunch or dinner, do stunts, double and herd cattle — for the price of a sandwich they sometimes made. When the highway came through in the 1930s, the noise was too severe and Placerita Canyon became the new film mecca of the SCV.
While there was a Newhall Elementary a few miles across town, the three older LaSalle girls, a Lyon child and two kids from the Buick family on that side of the valley attended something called the Treehouse School. It was built between three giant oaks, with a garage on the bottom floor. The ranchers all paid a teacher to instruct their kids instead of sending them across the sometimes dangerous open spaces of Newhall.
SEPTEMBER 13, 1925
STARS? WHAT’RE THEM? — In most of the valley, you could look up and see the stars. Local movers and shakers sought to end that practice on the east side of Newhall, asking the county Board of Supervisors to install nine street lights.
ROLL UP THE SLEEVES — Right before school started in the new Newhall Elementary, about 50 locals inspected the campus. A volunteer and staff party helped move playground equipment before the school year began.
LEAD-FOOTED NO GOOD NEWSPAPER PUBLISHER — For the second time in a decade, Harry Chandler, publisher of The Los Angeles Times, was involved in a traffic incident here. Before, Chandler participated in the catch-and-release program. The state police had stopped him after a high-speed chase but let him go upon finding out he was a most connected high holy mucky-muck. This time, Chandler, at a high rate of speed, ran a car off the road in Mint Canyon. Constable Biddison caught up with him and dragged him back to Saugus, where The Times exec paid restitution on the wreck. The Mighty Signal wrote an editorial about Chandler’s lead foot and demanded that a 15 mph speed limit be posted through the populated parts of the valley.
THE 60-CENT PETROL HEIST — Thieves made off with several gallons of gasoline from the Maxwell place. That was back when petroleum was about a dime a gallon — and no. You saddlepals know the rules: You can’t bring stuff from the past into the future, even when it is 10 cents a gallon …
THAT HOLLYWOOD WESTERN — Our very own personal film icon, William S. Hart, was in the hills north of Hollywood, working on his epic and last Western, “Tumbleweeds” on this date. If you ever get the chance, see it. It’s — well. Epic.
SEPTEMBER 13, 1935
PICKENS GETS PUNCTURED — Castaic resident Willie Pickens was driving with a pistol in his pocket when his Model T’s door swung open. He reached over to slam it shut and banged it against his leg, which caused the gun in his pocket to go off and blow a hole through his thigh.
I SHOULDA REMEMBERED TO BRING MY SUNDAY GO-TO-MEETING COWBOY SHIRT — Times were tough during the Depression. Mrs. Floyd Lamoreaux took in laundry to help make ends meet. She charged a nickel a pound or 40 pieces for a dollar — that’s ironed and folded, too. Mrs. Lamoreaux was the mother of Red Lamoreaux — aka, Buzz Barton — who a few years earlier was one of the biggest child film stars in the world.
SEPTEMBER 13,1945
THE VERY FIRST DAY OF THE VERY FIRST HIGH SCHOOL — For more than 20 years, the valley had been dreaming of starting its own high school. On Monday, Sept. 10, 1945, that dream became a reality when the first students of William S. Hart High School started their first day of class. Those 73 ninth graders didn’t have their own campus yet (they were housed in special recycled army barracks at Newhall Elementary). Russell Johnson got a special furlough from Camp Lockett to start his job as teacher and assistant principal. He had to rush from the base and taught wearing his sergeant’s stripes the first day. The first regular teachers of any high school here were Mrs. Helen Pfister of Salem, Oregon, and Mrs. Phillips of Los Angeles. There were about another 100 students in grades 10-12 attending San Fernando and Palmdale highs.
AT LEAST THEY HAD THEIR CLOTHES ON — Two Navy servicemen and their wives were arrested for bathing in Bouquet Reservoir on this date. Arrested? Seems a little harsh, especially for vets …
SEPTEMBER 13,1955
PUTTING HADES TO SHAME — Seventy years ago, the weather gods blasted the Santa Clarita with seven straight days when the mercury bubbled between 107 and 111 degrees. The heat wave continued for 24 straight weeks in which the coolest day was 99. Mind you, these settings were from The Signal’s thermometer in town. Readings from the canyons reported highs from 118 to 135 — in the shade.
INSTANT FRIED CHICKEN? — Most of you Yuppie saddlepals don’t know this, but chickens do not have any means of cooling themselves off. Their body temperature is natural at 105. When it gets hotter than that by a degree, they can keel over and die. Poultrymen around the valley were working throughout the day and into the night to spray down the hen houses.
SEPTEMBER 13,1965
NO AGUA FOR THE RICH — Attorney Haig Kehiayan made the headlines 60 years back, representing the Sand Canyon Homeowners Association. Seems like the residents kept getting their water turned off by their local purveyor — sometimes days at a time. Haig didn’t particularly feel that was right.
HOME OF MY ALMA MATER, THE HONBY MEN’S CLUB — On this date, the Mint Canyon Babe Ruth League was founded — in Honby of all places. Honby is sort of where Home Depot is on Soledad. The conference started with four teams 60 years back.
SEPTEMBER 13, 1975
BETTER’N STREET GUTS BOULEVARD? — You’d think someone at Newhall Land & Farming would have checked his Spanish. On this date, the big land company changed one of its street names — at the request of the Fire Department. Seems in the Valencia Glen tract, they had two streets with hauntingly similar names: Via Entrana and Avenida Entrana. Oddly enough, “entrana” means “entrails” in Spanish (if you use the little accent over the “N”). NL&F changed the former to Via Rana. “Rana” means “frog” in Spanish.
CHOPPER AS ART — Here’s an odd coincidence: The Mighty Signal’s Junior Art Champion was 8-year-old Ray Guardado, who drew a picture of a sheriff’s helicopter. Late-breaking lead front page story was about how a truck swerved around a roadblock and had its camper shell severed by a sheriff’s helicopter on the 14 Freeway.
MUSCLES GALORE — Local gym dweller and spa owner Steve Davis was picked second in the Mr. America contest.
TIM WHYTE? — Superman was on trial in the tiny Newhall Municipal Court. Seems a Magic Mountain employee told a crowd he’d give the first person to name Clark Kent’s editor would be given $5,000 cash. The barker was kidding. David Drozen came up with the answer and sued the amusement park after their barker said he was only kidding the crowd.
WE NEVER DID SOLVE THE HEADLESS/HANDLESS CORPSE — Signal reporter Rich Varenchik likewise was kidding a crowd — of cops. Seems actor Peter Falk was at the Valencia Civic Center, filming an episode of his famed hit series, “Columbo.” Falk rested between takes on a bench. Varenchik walked into the sheriff’s office and suggested that if the lawmen had any unsolved cases, they ought to drag them out to Lt. Columbo to solve.
SEPTEMBER 11, 1988
AHHHH. THE ALWAYS PROFITABLE NEWSPAPER BIZ — After a dramatic midday walk-out, after 25 years of running The Mighty Signal, the Newhall family started their own bi-weekly newspaper on this day and published the first edition of their newspaper, The Citizen. It lasted not quite a year and lost about $1 million. Local advertisers didn’t like the split. While loyal to the Newhall family, they didn’t like having to double their ad budget, buying space in both The Signal and Citizen.
SEPTEMBER 13, 1985
LONG BEFORE UBER EATS — Laurie Torice was one of the most beloved people in the valley. The pretty blonde ran an old Helm’s Bakery truck and drove around the SCV, selling, um, yum, doughnuts. History trivia? My younger sibling-like substance, Joe Peters-Boston? He’s never eaten a doughnut and Joe’s 60 …
• • •
That little horseback ride was just what the doctor ordered. Sure appreciate the company, dear friends and neighbors. Looking forward to riding with you all next weekend with a brand new Time Ranger adventure, and, until then — vayan con Dios, amigos!
Local historian and the world’s most prolific satirist/humorist John Boston will be soon launching a new eclectic bookstore and multimedia/commentary website on writing — johnboston-books.com. Look for “Naked Came the Novelist,” his long-awaited sequel to “Naked Came the Sasquatch,” coming this fall.
