Top of a November Santa Clarita weekend to you, friends. As we stroll our ponies out for our historical constitutional this morning, we’ve some mighty darn interesting vistas ahead. We’ll start by going all the way back to the 1700s for one of California’s first gold strikes. Awaiting after that is an entire passel of interesting sights — pistol fighters, record bookmaking arrests and a poor old-timer getting shot dead by his blind wife. (Hate that when that happens …)
C’mon. Nothing more freeing than being atop a tall steed, hearing the creak of saddle leather and inhaling all that free, fresh air.
Oh. Just in case some of you were thinking about sleeping in? Somewhere during today’s trail ride, we’ll visit a local topless bar with a special head rub for a buck Monday Night Football attraction. Make sure to cover the eyes of Baptists and little kids for this one …
WAY, WAY BACK WHEN
THE FIRST GOLD STRIKE, IN 1796 — Over the years, we’ve monkeyed with the historical calendars over the first discovery of gold in California and Santa Clarita.
For years, the date of the first major gold strike was thought to be in 1842 in Placerita Canyon by don Francisco Lopez. Other reports place that date even earlier in San Francisquito Canyon in the 1820s. Then, there was the tale of the Lost Padre Mine in the late 1790s in the hills north of Castaic.
In a conversation with The Signal by Judge John Powell, who served as magistrate here for 50 years in the 19th and early 20th centuries, that first gold discovery may have been even earlier. According to Powell, from a conversation he reportedly had with Andres Pico (of Pico Canyon fame and brother to California Gov. Pio Pico), Piute Indians found large gold nuggets in the Placerita Creek all the way back in 1796.
The exact location was described as, “… in the bedrock of the narrows in Placerita Canyon, 4 miles from (downtown Newhall).” (You know the drill, saddlepals. Any Time Ranger rider who brings in large gold nuggets to the trail boss gets a laurel and hearty handshake along with some extra grain for your horse.)
The Indians brought the nuggets to the padres at the brand new construction site of the San Fernando Mission. The missionaries built rockers and sluice boxes and mined the gold. According to The Signal of Nov. 19, 1920, “No one seems to know just how much gold was mined, but it is supposed to have been a considerable sum.”
SANFORD WAS THE BIZ GUY, CYRUS WAS THE PISTOL FIGHTER — Easily the two most famous twins in Santa Clarita history, Sanford and Cyrus Lyon were born on Nov. 20, 1831 in Machias, Maine. The men left a colorful legacy in this valley, from school building to gunfights. Lyons Avenue, despite being a typo, was named after the brothers.
LAST OF THE CHINESE RAILROAD WORKERS — In 1898, the last of the Chinese laborers who built the Southern Pacific railroad left the valley. Hop Lee and his wife, Mary, had stayed on to run a laundry business and work at the 5-star Southern Hotel. When the hotel burned to the ground, they reportedly went back to China.
NOVEMBER 22, 1925
SLOW NEWS WEEK — Granted. There are some that like the news this way, but, a whole darn century back, there wasn’t much happening in this valley of half-a-thousand souls. The two lead stories in The Mighty Signal were: “Club Holds Meeting” and “Need New Fire Hose.” The club in question was the Newhall Woman’s Club. (Yup. Even though there were more than one female on registry, it was “Woman’s.) As for the latter story, an inspector from L.A. moseyed up here and ascertained that we needed maybe another fire hose.
HISTORY REPEATS? — One thing that doesn’t change is The Mighty Signal editorial. Owner A.B. “Dad” Thatcher noted that in 1925, America was headed pert near the same direction as Rome, i.e., downhill to perdition. Thatcher said that we had too much wealth in the hands of too few and that the country during the Roaring 20s lacked any moral fiber, and that went ditto double with our leaders.
NOVEMBER 22, 1935
WHOSE FAULT? ASPHALT. — Big news in downtown Newhall was the arrival of 40 men to repave the main drag. Another dozen locals were brought to the payroll.
WE’RE MOBILE — Signal editor A.B. Thatcher wasn’t worried about the wars in Europe, Asia and Africa spilling over to Newhall. He noted that there was one automobile registered to every three people in California. “Those foreign nations that are going to capture California would find most of us exceedingly hard to catch.”
NOVEMBER 22, 1945
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, YE MIGHTY BOY SCOUTS — A little heads up to you Scouts riding with us. On this date 80 years back, the Bill Hart District of the San Fernando Valley Boy Scout Council was formed up here.
WHOA! THAT’S A SERIOUS DIET PROBLEM — Two teamsters spent the night in the local pokey. Their crime? Overweight vehicles. One trucker was fined for being — get this — 10 tons overweight. Another was carrying about 5 tons too many of hay. Adding insult to injury, he had to unload part of his hay truck and store some of the offending feed in a lot next to the California Highway Patrol scales. When he got out of jail the next morning, someone had stolen his hay.
NOVEMBER 22, 1955
AHHHH, MARITAL BLISS — On this date, the elderly Slayton couple had a disagreement over money in their Saugus trailer. The husband popped the wife unconscious. The wife, who was legally blind, went to her purse, pulled out a small revolver and fired four shots in the direction of her beloved. Except for the one that went through his temple, she missed.
THAT STRANGE SMELL IN THE RURAL ATMOSPHERE — I’ve oft said that there is more history sometimes in a little social tidbit than in wars or the death of generals. On this date, a busload of travelers from Los Angeles pulled into the Greyhound station in Newhall. The group climbed out of the transport and started making faces as they tried to place what the strange but not unpleasant odor was emanating from Newhall. One of the passengers sheepishly grinned and identified the unfamiliar smell: fresh air.
NOVEMBER 22, 1965
NOPE. NOT NAMED AFTER THE ROADRUNNER-CHASING COYOTE — On this date, the Newhall School District announced they would be accepting bids to build a brand new campus on 10 acres near the valley’s first condo project, Del Prado. The school? Wiley Canyon Elementary. BTW. Wiley is named after Henry Clay Wiley, the man who literally lifted up everything from hikers to stagecoach via a windlass (a primitive elevator) up from the San Fernando Valley into the SCV.
‘DR. DEADHEAD?’ DON’T GIVE ME A STRAIGHT LINE LIKE THAT THIS EARLY IN THE DAY — Way back when, the Plaza Theater on Lyons Avenue was billed as “The North County’s Most Beautiful Theater.” Well. It was just about the ONLY theater in the North County then. On this date, it offered a Frankie Avalon double bill of “Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine” and “Sgt. Deadhead.” Hm. Wonder if the Bikini Machine popped out just the bikinis or something with which to fill them?
FROM THE YOU CAN’T GET THERE FROM HERE DEPT. — The county promised to start work at improving the narrow junction by the Saugus Cafe — that’d be the Bouquet/San Fernando Road/Ridge Route intersection. The latter part of that equation is called Magic Mountain Parkway today. The reason for a fix-up? Seems many big rigs couldn’t make the turn on the one-lane highway then.
NOVEMBER 22, 1975
CRIPES. HERE’S A CHUCKLER FOR YOU. — Newcomers were bemoaning the high cost of Santa Clarita living. A young family renting a home had to put down about $130 in deposits.
SWAT TEAM SWATTED — A dark day in history and a win for the forces of political correctness was struck on this date. That’s when the state mandated that school districts had to get permission from the parents of children who were to receive swats on the bee-hind. One of the problems teachers noted was that the kids who needed the swats had parents who needed a swat even more …
YAY! WE MADE THE RECORD BOOKS — This isn’t exactly the kind of item you want to be remembered for in terms of “The Greatest.” But, alas, history is history. On this date, the biggest bookmaking arrest in L.A. County history occurred. Rollie Lendman was the first arrest when he was hauled in at the Rendezvous Bar. The raid netted 55 people, thousands in cash and millions in betting stubs.
NOVEMBER 22, 1985
NO MORE BAB — The Mustangs of Placerita Canyon began the 1985 basketball season with a new name. They changed the entire name of the campus from Los Angeles Baptist to The Master’s College. The nickname for the religious college was, “The Bab,” as opposed to the less mellifluous, “The Bap …”
AN IDEA BEHIND ITS TIME — A group of locals started a campaign to put a complete moratorium on growth until the issue of overcrowded schools was addressed. Among the force were 22 homeowner groups who complained about the entire inadequacy of SCV infrastructure.
THE BOOB TUBE & THE LIMELIGHT BAR — Managing editor but more importantly, gossip columnist Ruth Newhall sure could turn a phrase. On this date, she reported about a special entertainment at the Limelight Bar for ABC’s premier Monday night sports show on the tube: “Those weren’t footballs hanging over the heads of Monday Night Football watchers … a coupla weeks ago.” Ruth was referring to the illegal halftime show where a rather buxom stripper would cup her endowments over the ears of patrons for a buck. For five, she bared all. The lady was arrested but not the bar owner …
• • •
That about wraps up our time ride this fine Saturday morning. You folks have a peaceful rest of the weekend. I’m going to water my trusty paint by the banks of the upper Santa Clara and head home. But, what say we get together for another outing into yesteryear — same relative time? Until then — vayan con Dios, amigos!
Local historian and the world’s most prolific satirist/humorist John Boston has launched his new eclectic bookstore — johnboston-books.com. The long-awaited sequel to the national bestseller, “Naked Came the Sasquatch,” — “Naked Came the Novelist” —is available for sale now.
