If I had a magic wand, I’d wave it over all the Dads and poof would appear big screen TVs in quiet dens, remote controls with fresh batteries, recliners and your own six trays of personal favorite junk foods. Add free trained experts to help with all those home improvement projects, all bills and debts paid, all woes erased and all relationships happy.
Alas, all I can offer my fellow dads this Father’s Day is companionship and a simple trail ride into the yesteryear of Santa Clarita. Take as many deep breaths as you please. Tomorrow, Sunday, Father’s Day, they’re all free …
WAY, WAY BACK WHEN
DAD DAY TRIVIA — If you don’t mind a slight Father’s Day detour out of the valley, here’s some interesting little tidbits about dads:
• The first known tribute to a pop was written by Elmesu of Babylon about 4,000 years ago. Elmesu implored the gods to grant his dad, “… good health and enduring days.”
• In some pre-Christian tribes, it was considered a crime, punishable by death, to disagree with one’s father.
• The father, in some cultures even today, is in charge of arranging marriages for his offspring. They have no say in it. But in India, the daughter can get revenge. If a father got too deeply into debt, the daughter could sell him into slavery.
OK. BACK TO THE SCV & THE RIDGE ROUTE — The state began construction on the historic “New” Ridge Route in June 1912, linking Castaic with the San Joaquin Valley and beyond. Originally, of course, the road had been a gaming trail and it wasn’t until 1855 you could take a wagon across. The first white person known to have traversed it was Don Pedro Fages, who hiked it in 1772. Today, it’s a 90-minute romp up Interstate 5 to Bakersfield, but back then, it was two- to three-day ride on horseback (less for us grizzled time travelers) and don’t even think about crossing it during the winter.
RIDGE ROUTE, PART II — It still wasn’t what you’d call civilized by modern standards. “People who made the trek and lived to tell about it wrote adventure books,” quipped a 1912 magazine article. The road had 3,500 curves in it from Castaic to the Grapevine and cost a whopping $3 million to build. It opened in July 1915 and was christened State Highway 4.
RIDGE ROUTE, PART III — Few folks realize that Grapevine Canyon originally ran through the Santa Clarita Valley. In the 1850s, it was the name of the road from the “missing” Mission San Francisco in Castaic to Mission San Fernando. Crossing over to the San Fernando Valley side in Whitney Canyon, travelers had to go through a rather thick tangle of wild grapes, hence, the name. The road was also called “El Camino Desesperar” — or, “Road of Despair.” It was very treacherous and meant only for hiking or horses. Sometimes, a hearty soul would attempt to bring a small cart up and over the rugged mountains. The gullies and ravines were littered with goods, wagons and skeletons that had slipped over the edge.
JUNE 20, 1926
ONE-WOMAN CLUB? — One of my favorite organizations, The Newhall Woman’s Club, held a fundraiser 100 years ago. The purpose was to pay off their clubhouse. The gals held a dinner, which netted $40, which was enough to clear the tab. The NWC lasted until 1990, when it folded because of a lack of membership. Interestingly, for some reason lost to the rusty memory of history, this national organization with the local chapter was always called the “Woman’s” club in the singular. I remember asking Ruth Newhall about this and she said that’s just the way it was …
RUN THAT BY ME AGAIN? — This was such an amazing little tidbit from your Mighty Signal that I’m going to run the entire story in its entirety and you will be free to make the appropriate “Whoa, boy howdy” response: “Alfred Haskell had a very narrow escape, when a small Ford truck accidentally backed over him, running over his head. Soft dirt and balloon tires saved his life. Alfred was badly skinned and scraped about the face and head but is recovering nicely. In describing the accident, he says: ‘They run over me an’ then backed up and run over my face.’”
JUNE 20, 1936
ONE HOUSE VALLEY — The Depression and the fact there were only several dozen folks in the valley added up to a housing shortage in Santa Clarita 90 years back. The situation was called “acute.” While today real estate ads number in the hundreds here, back in June 1936, there was only one — count it — one house on the market: a small cabin in Placerita Canyon. It was listed as “cheap.” That’d hopefully be the price, not the condition.
JUNE 20, 1946
IF PORTOLA COULD’VE DRIVEN A JEEP — A motorcade of two dozen cars filled with members of the Southern California Historical Society retraced Gaspar de Portola’s trek from what would be the San Fernando Mission to the Camulos Ranch. The 30-mile trek ended at the historic ranch on State Route 126, under the shade of the centuries-old walnut tree. Camulos, by the way, was the inspiration of one of the most significant novels in American history: “Ramona.”
SNAKES ALIVE! — Mrs. Bill Gulley didn’t exactly want to do the housework 80 years back. A yard-long rattlesnake had taken up residence in their sofa. The couple had heard the rattles for over a week, but thought the reptile was under the house, not under the couch.
ON DEATH’S DOOR — The valley’s most famous citizen — ever — was just days away from death. Making his transition alone in Cal Lutheran hospital, William S. Hart was unaware that his son and ex-wife were already contesting his will and Hart’s wish to leave his vast fortune to the county.
A LOCAL SPORTS MILE POST — The first high school varsity baseball game in valley history was played on this date. The all-frosh campus of Hart High out-slugged the seventh and eighth graders of Newhall Elementary, 14-6. Interestingly, the brand new Hart High, which had just ninth graders in 1946, didn’t have a campus. They held classes in Quonset huts in the back of Newhall Elementary.
JUNE 20, 1956
ADIOS, DEAR DOC — One of the 20th century’s most influential women here in the Santa Clarita, Dr. Sarah Luella Murray, died on this date. Born in Monroe County, Michigan, on Jan. 24, 1876, she set up the SCV’s first emergency hospital in 1936. Besides all the babies delivered and wounds patched, Dr. Murray was a tireless supporter of the community. Few knew she was also one of the top orchid growers in the country.
A RASHOMON FINALE — A massive manhunt, complete with helicopters and mounted search parties, scoured the rugged terrain for an armed madman. Young Mel Evans was wanted on charges of attempted murder. A Maricopa oil worker, with a small-caliber pistol wound in his cheek, claimed Evans tried to kill him. When they found Evans in the hills below Castaic, he was frightened and disoriented, but told a different tale. Evans said the hunter and his friends came upon him and started to chase him through the brush. Evans fired backward in desperation as the older gang nearly caught him. Later though, it turned out that Evans had a history of mental unrest. Here’s the historical significance of this tidbit: Evans was the FIRST person captured via a Los Angeles County sheriff’s helicopter pursuit.
JUNE 20, 1966
SHOULDA CALLED IT, ‘COLLEGE OF THE MIGHTY INDIANS’ — On this date, the proposed William S. Hart Junior College District was pulled from the State Board of Education’s agenda. The commission had one simple reason for axing Bill Hart J.C.: “not enough students here.”
WONDER HOW AL WOULD FEEL ABOUT A FOURTH OF JULY PARADE WITHOUT HORSES? — This is something I promised myself I’d do before I make my transition. Al LeGate passed through the SCV on this date, taking about a whole day to get across it. Al was on a 2,000-mile trek, on horseback, from Mexico to Canada. Besides a worn hat and work clothes, all he had was a sleeping bag, canvas pack, rifle and an Appaloosa, Eagle Dollar. LeGate was riding to draw attention to the changing face of America and there weren’t many horse trails left. Boy. He should see the valley today. He rode an average of eight hours a day. In his 50s, he said he didn’t notice any sore muscles because he had worked in the saddle most of his life.
MY LONG-LOST BOYHOOD HOME — The Trails Tavern (when it rested on today’s Railroad Avenue) was the scene of yet another epic brawl. Fifteen men were arrested for a free-for-all in the parking lot. Odd how such bad news overshadows the absolute perfect cheeseburgers they used to serve there …
JUNE 20, 1976
THERE’S NO JOURNALISM LIKE NO JOURNALISM — The Hart High Smoke Signal faced extinction 50 years back. Only six signed up for the student newspaper and they didn’t have a faculty advisor.
DIMINISHED EXPECTATIONS — The Boys & Girls Club netted a little more than $30,000 at their annual auction. That’s more than 10 times less than what they pull in nowadays. Get this. One of the biggest auction items brought in $800. That was for some newfangled device called a “mobile phone.”
AND WE USED TO THINK — WE — WERE IN THE BOONIES —That was until Hart, Canyon and brand new Saugus had to join a new league. One of their opponents was Burroughs Ridgecrest. While it was a sports reporter’s expense account dream at nearly 300 miles round trip, it was a pain for the locals.
MORE GOVERNMENT HIJINKS — The county paid nearly $6,000 to widen two Valencia Library restroom doors 2 inches each. The 34-inch original entryways didn’t make handicap codes, despite the average wheelchair being just 24.5 inches wide. The remodeling cost taxpayers $1,345 per inch.
JOSE CAN YOU SEE — Jose Chavez died on this date. He was born in Chihuahua, Mexico, in 1908. He was a hard-working soul who eventually went into the restaurant business, starting up something called Cafe Jose in Castaic in 1958. It was still there, pre-COVID nonsense, only under the title of, Cafe Mike.
JUNE 20, 1986
SICILIAN. NATIVE AMERICAN. WHATEVER IT TAKES. — What if they gave a Walk of Fame and no one came? That’s what happened 40 years ago. Today, it is called the Western Walk of Stars. Then, it was called the Newhall Western Walk of Fame (it was changed under threat of lawsuit from the Hollywood Walk of Fame). Seems the Walk was axed when the Chamber of Commerce “didn’t have enough time” to put on the event. Oh. A little trivia. One of our first inductees, Iron Eyes Cody, was known for his Indian roles and heritage. It turned out Mr. Cody was not an Indian, but an Italian. Despite all the Westerns to his credit, perhaps his most famous role was as “The Crying Indian” in the “People Start Pollution, People Can Stop It” public service TV ads which appeared the second Earth Day in March 1971. Iron Eyes was actually born Espera DeCorti, April 3, 1904, in the dinky hamlet of Kaplan, Louisiana. He was the son of Francesca Salpietra and Antonio DeCorti, Sicilian immigrants who arrived here in 1902. While he played a Native American in hundreds of films and TV shows, he did actually embrace the native American life, marrying a real Indian and adopting two Indian sons. Cody denied his heritage, despite a sister coming forth with his birth certificate and heritage in 1996.
COULDN’T BE TOO HARD TO ID IN A POLICE LINEUP — On this date, local authorities were on the lookout for a 300-plus-pound pistol-packing mama in a purple mu-mu. The Rubenesque bandita liberated the First Nationwide Savings on Lyons of $1,500, then “disappeared.”
• • •
A reminder: Next Sunday, June 28, noon, I’ll be lecturing at Rancho Camulos. Theme? Local monsters, ghouls, ghosts and the paranormal and weird. Should be a hoot. Visit ranchocamulos.org for more info. That shameless plug aside …
Thanks again, not just you dads but you moms and you non-dads and non-moms and that pretty much fills in all demographics. What say we all get together next Sunday and head out on another brand new Time Ranger adventure? I’m up for it. 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.
