Dear me, time traveling is a wonderful thing. It seemed like it was January a moment ago and in the blink of an eye, we’re in the second month that begins with “J.”
Here’s what’s on the back trail menu this fine Sunday morn, saddlepals:
• A shotgun-toting, gut-shooting grandma;
• A stellar spring for Saugus High’s athletes;
• A mystery horror story from the 1930s;
• A sermon on how to deal with the atomic bomb;
• Our forgotten Santa Clarita Valley celestial observatory;
• A masked Canyon Country slasher;
• And, as we say out West: “An entire passel of stuff.”
Whether you’re wearing feedlot hats or primo Stetsons, tug ’em on tight. There’s usually a stiff and come-hither headwind as we head through the vortex of Santa Clarita’s yesteryear …
WAY, WAY BACK WHEN
TIME’S UP? — The average life expectancy in the United States in the mid 19th century was about — are you sitting? (Of course you are; you’re in the saddle.) It was about 40 and increased to about 47 by 1900. I’m guessing because the SCV is so nice and peaceful, the average age any time is 146 …
SKINNY DIPPING & CHILDHOOD PRACTICAL JOKES — Signal editor Fred Trueblood lamented his lost youth. He noted how the local Newhall Pool in 1953 had parents and a lifeguard or three. But in 1899, he recalled going down to the local tree-shaded pond and skinny-dipping, unsupervised and unclothed, save for a hand-made straw hat. Fred remembered making sure he wasn’t the last one out of the water because if you pals got to your clothes before you did, they’d tie them in tight knots, get them dripping wet and it took you an hour to untie them.
THE FLIPSIDE OF OLD-TIME CHILDHOODS — Old-timer Clarence Swanson recalled being a boy, growing up in Castaic. He used to help his dad run hogs from here to Santa Paula. It took about three days along the bends of the Santa Clara River. Swanson recalled the river used to run year-round and at its lowest, it was knee deep on a full-grown man. In those tougher times, Swanson started construction work at 14, digging petroleum lines through the valley. He also helped build the Ridge Route and recalled that much of the work was done with mules.
THE NOT-SO HALCYON TIMES — We talk about the good old days, but sometimes, our memory can be a bit foggy. George Campton, son of the original Campton store builder, recalled that in Newhall’s early days, it was a tough frontier town and that a woman wasn’t safe to walk the streets after dark.
JUNE 6, 1926
THE CRUSAN/KRUSAN MINE — The Krusan Mine in Texas Canyon was sold to an L.A. capitalist for $30,000 on this date. Interesting that in later reports, I’ve seen Mr. Krusan’s name also spelt with a “C.” That’d be at the beginning, by the way.
WONDER IF HE GAVE A PARTIAL REFUND? — Maitland Smith gave his last haircut 100 years ago. The town barber dropped dead in the middle of a clip job.
BEFORE THE OL’ 10851 — This isn’t completely local. It’s a county stat. In 1925, there were 11,234 car thefts in Los Angeles. Oh. A “10851” was the precursor to the old radio scanner code for car theft. In fact, back in 1925, the police scanner hadn’t been invented yet. It would be 1931 for the first scanner and 1933 for the first two-way radio.
JUNE 6, 1936
THE SECRET SIDE OF NEWS REPORTING — It’s funny how the sensibilities of journalism have changed. Apparently, something rather epic and possibly horrific happened in the SCV 90 years back. What it was, I couldn’t tell you. But note the “news coverage” The Mighty Signal provided, buried on a back page. Here it is in its entirety: “The Signal doesn’t care to mix in the job of digging up the big scandal that has shaken the town the past week. The law may punish the proper persons, but it never can undo the wrong, or bring back the dead to life. And memory and conscience are apt to be much more effective than any other punishment.” Sounds enticing.
LOOK AWAY, DIXIELAND — There were only about 4,500 Civil War veterans still alive by 1936. I believe none lived in the SCV.
ONE SHY OF A SOLO GRADUATION — The old Honby Elementary School (near where Home Depot off Soledad is today) held its eighth grade graduation. The graduating class consisted of two — count them — two pupils: Albert Vorhies and Emmet Clancy. The entertainment for the ceremony was a one-person puppet show depicting early California history. First, I’d imagine the graduation ceremony must have been short. Second? I’m guessing if anyone in the audience was napping, it wouldn’t be hard to tell who it was. And third, I’m also guessing class reunions in the decades that followed would be a might tricky.
BOLDLY GOING ON, WHERE NO ONE HAS GONE BEFORE — A Dr. Young, renowned astrologist of his era, built an observatory on this date in the hills above Castaic to view the stars.
LIVE NUDE JESSE — San Francisquito Power Plant No. 3 employee Jesse Breen didn’t show up for work this week in history. He was rather embarrassed when he came back, too. Jes spent time in the pokey. He was arrested for “being a nudist.”
JUNE 6, 1946
AMEN, BOY HOWDY & A ROBUST KA-BLOOEY! — We hosted an old-fashioned tent revival at the corner of 16th and Chestnut streets. Evangelist Robert Priede and John Rhodes spoke on the exciting topic of: “Atomic Bombs & Bible Prophecies.”
NEVER MET UP WITH HIS WIFE — Elbert Knaggs never paid his speeding ticket. A few minutes after being cited for excessive speed, the 31-year-old lay dead in the center lane of Highway 99. He sped past a car, clipped it and swerved out of control into a big semi. Knaggs was enroute to meet his wife in Salinas. He obviously never kept the appointment.
THAT’S A LOT OF KIDS — Hart High was in its infancy, holding its first classes on the Newhall Elementary campus for just ninth graders. Meanwhile, four local elementary schools held their graduation ceremonies for eighth graders. Sulphur Springs graduated 13 pupils, Castaic passed along 15, 19 graduated from Saugus Elementary and a whopping 36 kids received diplomas from Newhall. For those of you math challenged, that adds up to 83. Rough ballpark estimate? There’s about 50,000-ish students enrolled in private and public schools, from preschool to junior college.
JUNE 6, 1956
THE CANYON COUNTRY SLASHER — A masked stabber tried to murder an attractive Canyon Country woman in her yard at 2 in the morning. The attacker apparently had tracked her home from a bar. The woman thought it was her husband. The man left two huge stab wounds on the petrified woman. Interestingly, the spouse had an ironclad alibi, despite returning home at 3 a.m.
A FOUR-LEGGED HERO — Gar, a German shepherd belonging to Buck and Irene Fish, up Forrest Park way (that’s upper Sierra Highway) saved the day. Irene heard Gar stirring up an incredible fuss. Sprinting outside, Irene saw Gar putting himself between her little boy, Milo, and a rather large rattler. Mother scooped up son and the rattler struck Gar. He recovered nicely though, after a bout of being sick.
OVERWORKED BESSIE — I’ll rein toward a higher trail here by avoiding the obvious punchline. But, on this date, 45-year-old Bessie McVey died of a heart attack. She was mother of nine children, including a 3-month-old.
JUNE 6, 1966
’TWEREN’T NO VW BUG — There were only five 1957 Rometch sports cars in the world up to this date in 1966. Then, there were four. Alvin Heitzman was speeding across Highway 99 when he lost control of his expensive racer. Heitzman, and the car, were completely destroyed in the wreck.
WHEN THE MEMORIAL SMOKE CLEARED — Local lawmen had a hectic Memorial Day weekend. Besides the usual fistfights, domestic disturbances and car accidents, they had three abandoned children calls.
JUNE 6, 1976
DAVID MILAN BROKE INTO THE WRONG HOME — On a weekend pass from the Acton Rehab, he broke into the home of 65-year-old Helene Pierre around 2 a.m. Helene, who lived alone, heard the front door being forced open, grabbed her .20-gauge shotgun and gave Milan a point-blank blast right in the stomach and he died at Palmdale Hospital. Helene was well-known at the Newhall Municipal Court. She had been before the bench several times for firing at neighbors’ property, livestock, pets and, well, neighbors.
I STILL LIKE CANYON COUNTY — Local movers and shakers were trying to separate the SCV from Los Angeles and form something called Canyon County. The name wasn’t in stone yet and one nomination was to call our valley — Nesaval County — the “NE” being the first two letters of “Newhall,” the “SA” the first two letters of “Saugus” and, of course, the “VAL” coming from “Valencia.” Still makes me wince …
JUNE 6, 1986
NYMPHOS ON THE BOOB TUBE — Poor Scott Newhall. A life of persuasion and persuading no one. On this date, The Signal’s publisher printed one of his famous front-page editorials. This one was entitled: “Get Nymphomania Out of TV.” Boy oh boy. Scotty wouldn’t believe the public airwaves today.
THE SO-&-SO SOS DUMPER — On this date, Space Ordnance Systems’ former operations director Mike Murphy was given one year’s probation and 30 days on weekends in county jail. He had been found guilty of three of 87 charges of dumping hazardous wastes in Placerita Canyon.
WHOOPSIES TIMES 8! — Error-plagued (eight, count them — ouch!) Saugus High was foiled in a bid to take the 2-A CIF Championship at Dodger Stadium. The Centurions lost to Artesia, 9-4. It was an amazing and historical spring for Saugus. Their track team won the CIF championship a week earlier.
THE HIGH COST OF BIG-SCREEN ENTERTAINMENT — This almost seems like Flintstones technology today. But, 40 years back, residents of the American Beauty Apartments were wowed by a new video vending machine in the rec room. The $40,000 machine took up 36 square feet and housed 320 video tapes. Rental was about two bucks per.
• • •
Thanks for that delightful sound of creaking saddles and companionship. I look forward to seeing all you Time Ranger saddlepals next weekend with a brand new Santa Clarita history adventure. Until then, don’t be tolerant — be excellent to one another! 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.
