This weekend morn is one of those trail rides back into Santa Clarita time where you just shake your head in amazement and say, “Boy, howdy …”
As a matter of fact, in an effort to somewhat Westernize many of you Yuppies, let’s just give that a try. Drape one hand over your saddlehorn and cup the other on top. Make a face like you’re agreeing with someone who just reported that, well, duh, everything’s sliding down hill and going to heck in a handbag. Nod and sigh. Then say, “Boy howdy.”
Not too much.
You don’t have to sell it.
There.
Most of you passed …
WAY, WAY BACK WHEN
BEN THERE. DONE THAT. — President Benjamin Harrison stopped at the Saugus Train Depot 115 years ago on April 25, 1891. Well. Actually, his train stopped. Ben didn’t get out to stretch. “Little Ben,” as was his unasked-for nickname, was one of the shorter commanders-in-chief at 5-foot-6. He also was one of those presidents who lost the popular vote but won resoundingly in the electoral college, 233-168.
TODAY? PART OF THE CITIZENRY WOULDN’T EVEN NOTICE — This marks the 120th anniversary of the great San Francisco earthquake and fire of 1906, the worst disaster in state history. (Our own St. Francis Dam breaking was No. 2). The official death toll was put at around 3,000, but there are stories that authorities deflated the actual figures and that tens of thousands may have perished in the disaster that began on April 18, 1906. The conspiracy people point out that government officials all the way back to Washington didn’t want any bad publicity for San Francisco hosting the upcoming World’s Fair.
WHEN SAUGUS SPLIT RIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE — While San Francisco was still quivering with aftershocks, on April 23, 1906, the Bercaw General Store tested the retail waters with their grand opening in Saugus. The little community was called Surrey back then, coincidentally, the middle name of William S. Hart. There weren’t too many folks around to celebrate — about 400 in the whole valley.
If it weren’t for the Post Office, today, we might have the Surrey High Centurions, the Surrey Speedway and the Surrey Cafe instead of the Saugus Cafe. For a short period of about four years, the big question in the valley was what to call the area currently around the Saugus Cafe — Saugus or Surrey? It’s a bit puzzling, but here goes.
The Saugus Train Station opened its doors on Sept. 1, 1887. The little area around it was dubbed “Saugus” after Saugus, Massachusetts, boyhood home of town founder, Henry Mayo Newhall.
Around the same time, merchant O.C. Bercaw moved the post office from his store in Soledad to the Saugus train depot. But, he called the post office, “Surrey.” Smart money feels it was because his relatives hailed from Surrey, England. Bercaw built a hotel (called the Surrey Inn), an ice house (called the Surrey Ice House) and a general store. Uh, no. It was called Bercaw’s General Store.
Bercaw’s friend, Martin Wood, operated the Saugus Cafe and his blacksmith shop was called the Saugus Blacksmith Shop and, later, Wood’s Garage. People got quite a kick out of the humorous “feud” between the two friends, Wood and Bercaw. The south end of town was called Surrey and a few inches away to the north was Saugus. A couple of merchants extended the humor by painting a white stripe down a wooden sidewalk with signs and arrows, pointing to either Saugus or Surrey. It finally got so confusing, the post office stepped in and officially dubbed the town Saugus on Sept. 4, 1915. And it’s been thus ever since. Story goes, the SCV Historical Society supposedly still has an envelope with a Surrey, CA, postmark on it.
APRIL 25, 1926
DAMP A CENTURY AGO — The rainy season of 1925-26 was a pretty darn wet one. We had a small storm pass through, which dumped nearly an inch. But that brought our totals up to 25 inches. The already saturated ground caused flash flooding in the upper canyons. And it would rain even more in the weeks ahead …
APRIL 25, 1936
MAYBE GEORGE DIDN’T LIKE THE SOLITUDE — If so, he picked the wrong job. On this date, George Mattern committed suicide north of Castaic. Mattern had dinner with friends the evening before. They said he had been acting strangely and his last words were: “Well. When we meet again, we’ll all be wearing angels wings.” He shot himself that evening. Mattern was the Forest Service lookout man who lived in a tall wooden tower. Friends said he may have been despondent about his upcoming wedding.
HAY THERE. — Odd how many times this has happened in local history. On this date, yet another large hay truck burned. The flatbed had a flat, which created sparks, which ignited the hay. Many tons of horsey food and one truck were lost.
GO WESTE, YOUNG LADY — I’m dedicating this one to my pal, Laurene Weste. On this date, a local theater group put on “Her Honor, The Mayor” at Newhall Elementary. It was a manners satire about how men who felt women shouldn’t hold office were suddenly in the hot seat when a woman becomes mayor. It played to rave reviews in both Castaic AND Newhall. Of course, back then, the play ends with the “mayor” realizing it was all a dream and she went back to her happy life as a housewife. Foof …
I DON’T THINK WE HAVE EVEN ONE COW IN THE WHOLE VALLEY ANYMORE! — The economy of the SCV was primarily agricultural and such things didn’t go unnoticed. On this date, the Bear State Dairy moved their young stock and “dry” cows from Newhall to Tehachapi for better pasturage.
APRIL 25, 1946
TOUGH DARN TIMES — Locals called them the “Grapes of Wrath” family inspired by the writings of John Steinbeck, although, technically, the Depression ended years earlier. Local sheriff’s deputies found a large, extended family of nine living in squalor under the bridge near the Saugus Junction. Seems the father had abandoned his clan, stating that they liked an elderly migrant worker named Pat O’Shea better than they did him. O’Shea got himself a job peeling potatoes to support the family that was dropped into his lap. Still. The seven children were malnourished, underweight and whimpering when local sheriff’s deputies interceded. The mother was in a comatose state of shock. The children were clothed, fed and taken to foster homes.
DUMB WAY TO MAKE THE SCV RECORD BOOK — On this date, Chester Reynolds was the first known SCV resident to die from playing Russian Roulette. Reynolds and two friends were playing the game in Reynolds’ house adjoining the old schoolhouse. Reynolds was employed at the Wayside Honor Rancho and considered a prominent citizen.
APRIL 25, 1956
A PROPER DOUSING — You know how I love weather stories. Going into this week, we had a dryish season of about 10 inches of rainfall. In three days, that crept up to about 15 inches with a big tropical storm passing through. Late, but it filled up the wells …
INSULT TO INJURY — Chamber of Commerce secretary Cecil Knaggs didn’t do so well driving in the rain. Cece flipped his truck into the culvert near the Saugus Train Station and hurt himself proper. In walking the two-plus miles to the hospital in a pounding rainstorm late at night, he also caught a bad case of the flu.
YET ANOTHER SELF-INFLICTED GUNSHOT WOUND STORY — Here we go again. This time, 20-year-old visitor from Van Nuys, Henry Norton Jr., was the star of his own Western. Hank was practicing his alleged fast draw in one of our canyons when he grabbed his revolver and tried to yank it out of the holster. The gun went off, sending a bullet through the following: his heinie; his thigh, his knee and his foot. The Signal compassionately added the headline to his tale of woe: “Another Budding Gunman Perforates His Own Ham.”
BUY IT ON EBAY — Here’s a little trivia for you. Clarence Rowley Van Sant of San Jose published “Water Under the Dam” back in 1955. The Vantage Press book was a romantic thriller based on events surrounding the St. Francis Dam Disaster of 1928. Van Sant drew inspiration and information from Fred and Mary Pettinger of Newhall. He had stayed on their ranch earlier and was wowed by the tale. He sent a signed copy to the Pettingers. I just looked this up. You can buy a first edition (and I’m guessing, ONLY edition) on eBay for $62. Wince and pains me to say, but that’s like 10 bucks more than what my books are selling for on eBay …
APRIL 25, 1966
OH, THAT POOR Q. PINE … — You know, during all these treks into countless years, I’ve come across enough strange crimes to fill a book. This one ranks right up there. On this date, someone broke into Africa U.S.A. up Soledad Canyon and stole a 50-pound porcupine. The official sheriff’s report listed it as: “Grand Theft Porcupine.” The creature carried a value of $250. Or, four of Clarence Rowley Van Sant’s novels …
THEY DON’T PAY THE CHP ENOUGH — The old Highway Patrol emergency number used to be ZE 12000. The “ZE” stood for Zenith. On this date, a 27-year-old motorist was pulled over for speeding. He refused to show local patrolman Jim Latimer his driver’s license, then proceeded to flee the scene and lock himself up in a nearby telephone booth. Immediately, the driver called ZE 12000 and frantically reported: “They’re after me! They’re after me!” “WHO’S after you!?” responded the CHP dispatcher. “The Highway Patrol!” The operator tried to calm the motorist while Latimer sort of worked the other tact, prying the door open. The patrolman and the speedster then got locked in the phone booth together where they proceeded to wrestle for a season. More highway patrolmen rushed to the scene and managed to get their comrade and the distraught driver out of the booth. Patrolman Latimer had no answer on how they had managed to stage a fight in a phone booth without breaking the glass or tipping the booth over.
BET MY HUNTING BUDDY CHARLIE RASMUSSEN WAS THERE OPENING NIGHT — On this date, they showed “Bambi” at the new Plaza Theater on Lyons. Charlie would be cheering and booing at all the wrong spots …
APRIL 25, 1976
PLUS, HE WAS ABOUT AS ROUND AS HE WAS TALL — On this date, sheriff’s deputy Frank DeBernardi put the SCV on the map by setting a world record in the discus for men over 40. Footnote? DeBo was a pinch more than 40 at 54. He also was the international senior lifting champion, hoisting around 1,200 pounds in three lifts.
NOPE. NOT RELATED TO THE MOVIE. — Santa Clarita National Bank president James McMahon was kidnapped from his home and held for $150,000 ransom. After a morning-long series of instructions, Raymond Hale, the bank’s vice-president, delivered the cash and McMahon was set free, tired, strained, but unharmed. Years later, Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton would star in a movie called, “Bandits.” It was about the “Sleepover Bandits” who kidnapped bank presidents the night before and got them to open the bank for them the next morning. Reportedly, there’s no connection.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO — AHEM — GYM — On this date, 50 years ago, the Cougars’ $5 million new facility held its grand opening. The gym, with its capacity to seat 2,500 people, was a boon to local athletics. At the time, it was kept 74 degrees year-round — a blessing to those who were familiar with the ancient Hart High gym where COC played and practiced, with its sauna-like conditions in the summer and ability in winter to hang frozen meat.
APRIL 25, 1986
RACE RIOTS WEREN’T NEW IN CASTAIC’S POKEY — Called Pitchess Honor Rancho 40 years back, one of the dorms was the scene of a brawl that left 23 injured. The fight was started over a reported theft. Inmates lined up along racial lines, although we understand the Polynesians were sorely under-represented. Brooms and mops were broken off to use as weapons.
‘AND GEORGE? I GET TO TEND THE RABBITS!?!?!’ — On this date, the valley’s version of Jim Rockford set up offices. Former head of Pitchess and retired sheriff’s captain George Pederson opened up his private investigator’s office in Newhall. George would later become one of the city’s first councilmen and will forever be one of the SCV’s best saddlepals …
• • •
Well. By those familiar lights ahead, we’re back in 2026. Enjoy the rest of the weekend. I’ll see you next Saturday at The Mighty Signal hitching post with another set of stories fresh from our rich past. And, until then? ¡Gracias por viajar con El Guardián del Tiempo y vayan con Dios, amigos!
Local historian and the world’s most prolific satirist/humorist John Boston has launched his new eclectic bookstore — http://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.
