If you’ve ridden more than a little, you’ve had an experience where you just drop your reins, hold your arms out and gallop with your eyes closed.
This early spring of 2026, I’m recommending it for you more seasoned riders. The rest of you, don’t fret. You’ll have your day.
This splendiferous trail ride into Santa Clarita Valley history, we’ll witness one of the most amazing displays of dead-eye shooting ever in this valley. We’ll say howdy to scoundrels and heroes and shake our heads, sometimes in tragedy, sometimes in humor, at the folly of ourselves.
Boy howdy, it truly is a grand morning to ride with you dear saddlepals …
WAY, WAY BACK WHEN
THE BIG KABLOOIE — Many of you commuters still use the same hole in the mountain today. With a blast of Hercules dynamite, work began on March 22, 1875, on one of the longest train tunnels in the world. On the other side of the hill, they call it the San Fernando Train Tunnel. Over here, we call it the Newhall Train tunnel. When it was completed about a year later in 1876, working from both sides of the mountain, engineers were off in their digging calculations by an amazing less than an inch. That’s before computers and satellite positioning. Foof.
JUST KIDDING, MR. STRAUSS — Back on March 25, 1889, the Castaic School District was founded. Laurie Strauss was the principal. He wasn’t, but boy howdy, I love saying that about my basketball coach and principal back in the day at Hart High.
MARCH 28, 1926
THE LAST OF THE ‘LATE UNPLEASANTNESS’ — One of the valley’s pioneers and one of our last Civil War veterans died. Eli Smith was 80. The Happy Valley resident had fought with the Ohio 12th Calvary against the Rebs.
AND HIS HOUSE KEY IS UNDER THE DOOR MAT — Constable Biddison had a small disagreement with Signal owner “Dad” Thatcher. Bid thought it wasn’t such a great idea for the paper to print — on the front page — that the valley’s premier law officer was out of town on vacation. Thought it might give crooks some tall ideas.
WHAT A METROPOLIS! TWO DRUGSTORES, ONE VALLEY!! — On March 31, 1926, The Newhall Pharmacy held its grand opening. They offered a free box of candy to anyone who would buy at least a buck worth of merchandise. Hate to be a stickler, but that isn’t exactly the definition of “free.” A couple of days later, Mr. Renfro ran an ad noting: “Watch for MY grand opening April 3rd.” Of course, we were big enough by 1926 to support a drug store in Newhall and Renfro’s in Saugus …
MARCH 28, 1936
HAPPY VALLEY HORSE RANCH — Today, Happy Valley is one of the valley’s oldest neighborhoods. Back when, it used to be a few ranches, including the Lercher spread. It was sold 90 years ago and renamed Rancho Valley Feliz and owned by racing partners Meehan and Renner. They converted it into a thoroughbred race farm. The first two colts brought to the farm were worth as much as 60 houses each.
HUNT FOR KNUCKLEHEADS — One of the problems shared by rural and suburban climes is the jerk. Back on this date, local lawmen were searching for yahoos who were peppering water tanks with bullets. Besides having the ability to kill off a man’s crop or livestock, shooting at a metal tank was also a fire hazard. A posse came up empty looking for the gunmen, who faced a stiff two-year jail stint AND $1,000 (two houses) if caught.
THE ETERNAL MOVING OF TOPSOIL — One thing the newcomers can’t appreciate (at least from memory here) are dust storms. With most of the valley paved, it’s hard to imagine when the big winds hit. They’d blow topsoil from one part to another, and sometimes back again.
MARCH 28, 1946
THE GREATEST SHOT IN SCV HISTORY — Look up “crack shot” in the invisible SCV Encyclopedia and you’ll see a picture of Allen Greer. On this date, he stopped a madly spinning airplane on the runway of Newhall International Airport. The plane had been left in idle, slipped into gear and was making ever-widening circles. This being Newhall, locals tried to lasso a wing. That might have worked for Paul Bunyan, but not out here. Sheriff’s deputy Greer was called in. He calmly took out his personal sharpshooter’s .35 caliber Remington, knelt down and, with three shots, hit THE FUEL LINE to the carburetor on a spinning plane 40 yards out. Story made all four (Times, Herald, Mirror, Examiner) of the big L.A. papers …
THE WIND HITS NEWHALL INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT — Wasn’t a great day for little NIA. Same week, a pilot crashed his light monoplane after failing to make two landing attempts at our airfield. Big gusts of wind kept playing havoc with Wally Wollstencroft’s light flyer, then flipped it when he made his final approach. Except for shock, Wollstencroft had no injuries and didn’t even remember what happened. Oh. To clarify? Newhall International Airport got the humorous nickname because it made a mail run to Mexico a couple times a month.
THAT WHICH KILLED MORE THAN GUNS — I sometimes wonder if more people have been killed in this valley from the 1920s to the 1970s via the car accident than from old age. Four more met appalling deaths on the SCV’s highways. Three were killed in one accident when an elderly man skidded to the wrong side of 99. The fourth fatality was up by the Halfway House on Sierra Highway. For some darn dumb reason, Charlie Shepherd, who lived in one of the old cabins by the HWH, was laying prone smack dab in the middle of Sierra. A Los Angeles woman came speeding down, didn’t see the young man and rolled right over him. Shepherd’s body was crushed.
RE: THE ABOVE, MORE HORRIBLE STATS — Here it was, not even April 1946 and 16 people had died in car accidents and another 113 had been injured.
MARCH 28, 1956
HERE’S A BAD COMBINATION — It’s a 24-hour drinking binge on cheap wine; no money; no job; a temper; a wife and 11 kids. William Green went off the deep end after a lengthy binge. He came back to his Saugus home to find it locked. He broke in, beat up the missus, then gathered up all his wife’s and children’s clothes and burned them. Green was arrested. As is usually the case, the wife didn’t press charges and sat all night on the steps of the courthouse, waiting for dawn to plead for her man. The judge released him.
AAAAAARRRGGGHHHH!!!! — He sure set the benchmark for overacting. On this date, the talented albeit chronic alcoholic Robert Newton starred in the classic Disney pirate movie, “Long John Silver,” at the American Theater in Downtown Newhall. Aaaargghhhh, me buckoos …
MARCH 28, 1966
THE ALMOST HOME OF CALARTS — It’s truly odd how the valley has had so much development and upper Placerita Canyon has managed to stay somewhat wooded. On this date, Walt Disney announced they would build a huge, upscale real estate development on the north side of Placerita Canyon. They would be in the extreme pricey range of $50,000 then. The 80 homes would be on a minimum of 3/4 of an acre — next to the future California Institute of the Arts campus. That’s right. The original plan was to build our world-famous art school where the Disney movie ranch is today.
MARCH 28, 1976
SURVIVAL OF THE HIGH SCHOOL FITTEST — I don’t think this is on the curriculum anymore at Bowman High. But 50 years back, one of their teachers, Jackson Bates, taught wilderness survival.
A COUPLE OF REAL STRONG BOYS — We had two of the top track men in America right here in our backyard. Jon McKenzie of Hart was ranked tops in the country for high schoolers in the shot put with a toss of 62 feet, 7 inches. Across town, at Canyon, the popular Bill Heins threw the discus 172 feet, 3 inches to be ranked No. 2.
SO WHERE DID COBB HIDE THE MONEY? — One of the weirdest kidnappings/crime sprees in valley history occurred three decades back. Canoga Park’s Michael Cobb, 19, held up a Newhall doughnut shop at gunpoint, then randomly picked the Forcum home to, no pun intended, hole up. Cobb ripped the phone out of the wall. Mrs. Forcum calmly asked just who was going to pay for the damage. Cobb came up with $16. Mrs. Forcum said she couldn’t accept stolen money. Mike left the cash on the table and proceeded to take her husband and teenage son as hostage. Mrs. Forcum insisted that before the trio leave, they all kneel down in prayer. Cobb agreed, then left with her family, headed for Burbank. At a gas station, husband James and son Dan, 20, overpowered Mike, who was still sort of drunk. The big mystery? Mike swiped $900 in the wee small hours, reportedly broke into the Forcum house, then drove with them to Burbank. When he was arrested, he only had $353 on him.
MARCH 28, 1986
HOPE COMES TO THE SCV — That would be Tony Hope. He was running as a GOP candidate for Congress. Tony, by the way, was Bob Hope’s son and no. He didn’t win. Bob, by the way, used to own a lot of real estate in this valley, including land around Friendly Valley.
TURN YOUR HEAD AND COUGH — On this date, county Supervisor Pete Schabarum brought back an ancient idea. He introduced a suggestion that convicted sex offenders be castrated.
GIRL FIGHT!!! — One of the more, ahem, dynamic Miss SCV Pageants was highlighted by the old queen crowning the new. Seems the outgoing royalty pulled the sash onto the head of the new missy monarch. Seems the pair had been dating the same guy. ’Twasn’t me.
SENIOR SPEEDSTER — Jacob Bishin put us on the map, setting a world’s record for the 5-kilometer (3.1 miles). The Saugus man set the new mark at 38:35 — that’s a rather blistering mile every 13 minutes. Not bad for an 85-year-old man …
• • •
Well. We’re a bit dustier and a whole lot smarter, at least in the discipline of history. I’m going to mosey home, shake the leaves out of the hammock and stare up at the oaks. You folks take good care of yourselves until next Saturday. We’ll meet here at The Mighty Signal hitching post, pick a brand new trail and mosey into another Time Ranger adventure. 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. His hilarious adventure/family/supernatural sequel to the national bestseller, “Naked Came the Sasquatch” — “Naked Came the Novelist” —is on sale now. Ditto with his two-volume “Monsters” series about the supernatural in the SCV.
