Copyright Santa Clarita Valley Signal
Heavens to Betsy, this year is flying by so fast. It seems like it was January about eight minutes ago. Thank heavens for relativity and Sunday mornings, when we can set the clocks back not an hour, but a century if need be. How about we put away the cares of the present for a while, hop up on a noble steed and head back into the days of more elbow room? WAY, WAY BACK WHEN T.A.W.W. — This date in 1891? Rudolph Nickel, founder of the Acton Rooster and famed Acton Hotel, also created the very first water district in the area. It was aptly called The Acton Water Works. THE SANTA CLARITA-DEATH VALLEY CONNECTION — The Santa Clarita is inextricably linked with Death Valley. We used to be neighbors, literally. Our San Gabrielles and Death Valley’s Orocopa mountains were right next door to one another. Slowly, over millions of years, we drifted about 125 miles apart. In the l400s, a great Indian migration began from the midwestern plains and the Shoshone slowly marched West. Some of them stopped to make Death Valley home. Others went on a few hundred miles to live in our valley. They would eventually become the Tataviam Indians. In 1849, a group of 100 wagons calling themselves, “The Jayhawkers,” started in Missouri and headed out to the gold fields of Northern California. After a disagreement over directions, the Bennett-Arcane portion of the adventurers thought they had a short cut and split off from the main party. On Christmas Day, they ended up lost and stranded in this hauntingly severe desert that they would later name — Death Valley. Exhausted and broken down, the wagoneers sent their two fittest men, William Manly and John Rogers, to get help. On Nov. 4, 1849, the hikers headed over the Panamint Mountains, thinking Los Angeles couldn’t be far beyond. While Manly may have written a book about his exploits (“Death Valley in ’49”) he wasn’t much of a navigator. L.A. was over 200 miles away — most of it desert. The pair lived off dead animals, a crow and a buzzard and had become so disoriented, they ended up in present-day Canyon Country. They also added another 50 miles to their journey. Still. They were grateful to reach Santa Clarita. From Manly’s own description: “There before us was a beautiful meadow of a thousand acres, green as a thick carpet of grass could make it and shaded with oaks, wide branching and symmetrical, equal to those of an old English park; while all over the low mountains that bordered it on the south and over the broad acres of luxuriant grass was a herd of cattle numbering many hundreds if not thousands … such a scene of abundance and rich plenty and comfort bursting thus upon our eyes, which for months had seen only the desolation and sadness of the desert, was like getting a glimpse of Paradise, and tears of joy ran down our faces.” Hm. Saugus? Odd thing was, the pair were so lost, they thought they were close to San Francisco. The duo stopped a vaquero and asked if they were close to Baghdad by the Bay and he said San Francisco was only a few miles away. That would be the Rancho San Francisco — home of Ignacio del Valle, mayor of Los Angeles and owner of just about everything in our valley. The del Valles promptly nursed the two to a quick health and sent a large expedition of men and aid to Death Valley to rescue the Bennett-Arcane group. That is some act of Good Samaritanism. That’s almost 500 miles round trip and today, Auto Club will only tow you 7 miles without charging you. It is said a woman in the last wagon headed toward Newhall and out of the desolate place looked back and bade: “Goodbye, Death Valley.” And that’s how the place got its name. Interestingly, many of the Bennett-Arcane group would end up staying in the SCV and some of their relatives still live here today. NOVEMBER 8, 1925 OUR FIRST HOSPITAL — Groundbreaking began for the new Newhall Community Hospital. There actually was the old hospital on the site and the new one was put in the back. It included an operating room, a few baths and 12 rooms. WANTED, DEAD OR ALIVE — Constable Jim Biddison along with deputies Jack Sanderson and John Seltzer were a little richer. They cashed in on a reward for a trio of rough-and-tumble bank robbers. A big manhunt was afoot for the gang. But the trio of lawmen spotted the desperadoes and, using the persuasion of a revolver up Saugus way, took away their freedom. BEFORE WE WERE CALLED, ‘SANTA CLARITA’ — The quiet “Village” (one of our many nicknames) was bursting with action. Four different movie companies were in town to film, including an “oater” by one of the most famous people on the planet, Western actor, Tom Mix. NOVEMBER 8, 1935 NOT A RECORD YOU’D WELCOME — As far as numbers, this one is up there in the record books for accident victims. A truck, carrying 15 people, lost its brakes and flipped over coming down the 5-Mile Grade. Three were seriously injured. NOVEMBER 8, 1945 SCALES OF JUSTICE — Crooks used Halloween as a diversion for a minor league crime spree. A few businesses were broken into and, of all things, the scales from the Newhall Pharmacy were swiped. Odd thing about it, a sheriff’s prowl car spotted the scales in the middle of present-day Market and Main Street. They went down a couple of blocks and turned around. By the time they got back, the scales were gone. DOGGONE IT! — I’ve oft mentioned that hunting was THE big sport in the Santa Clarita. On this date, dogs were added to the list of targeted critters. It seems there had been an unusually large amount of attacks on cattle by stray dogs. Local sheriff’s deputies implemented a state law that stated ranchers could shoot somebody else’s dog on their property. Don’t be getting any ideas, some of you saddlepals … SOMEBODY’S GETTING CLIPPED — Haircut prices were going through the roof. Cost of a clip in Newhall? A buck. NOVEMBER 8, 1955 COUNT YOUR OWN GEIGERS — Hard to believe, but the SCV had its very own Bureau of Atomic Radiation Detection. It consisted of two volunteers, Ray Ussery and Rocco Cacciatore and a trailer filled with Geiger counters. America, at the time, was under the heavy cloud of fear of a nuclear war with China and/or Russia. NOVEMBER 8, 1965 WASN’T A GOOD WEEK FOR MOTORCYCLISTS — There were several bike accidents this week 60 years back, including one fatality when a cyclist got confused and headed on the wrong side of the freeway. The Harris family wasn’t too happy, either, when they got news that their two boys, William and Robert, collided with one another on dirt bikes. YOU GOT CABLE? — On this date, Central Cable was purchased by Cablevision, which had the TV franchise for Saugus and Canyon Country. BACK WHEN IT WAS CALLED, ‘JUNIOR HIGH’ — Arroyo Seco got the thumbs up from the state on this date to go ahead and build their $1.4 million campus. SHOULDA NAMED IT, ‘CARROT PARKWAY’ — Hard to believe so much has happened in such a short time. But, 60 years back, work began on something called Valencia Boulevard, the first major artery of the new city of Valencia. NOVEMBER 8, 1975 YOU CALL THAT MUSIC!?!?! — Someone must have really hated music. On this date, someone fired two rifle shots through a plate glass window at California Institute of the Arts where a pianist and singer were practicing. The would-be assassin had been stationed on a hill near the campus. HOT-HOT-HOT! — Summer really doesn’t end here. We can have triple-digit temperatures just about any month, although it is rare for February or March. On this date, the mercury topped the 100-degree mark. WHEN WE WERE ALMOST A COUNTY — Local activists were busy, trying to get a measure on the ballot to break away from Los Angeles and form our own county called, “Canyon.” Interestingly, the shape and size of Los Angeles County has changed over the years. When California became a state, there were just 27 counties. L.A. County was fairly close to its original size. Just a year later, it morphed gigantically, extending all the way to Nevada and the Arizona Territory border, an area encompassing 35,520 square miles. (Back then, there were only 3,530 people in the county — or, 1 person per 10 square miles). L.A. County shrunk back down again in 1853 and again in 1872 when Kern County was created. NOVEMBER 8, 1985 JUST WHAT WE NEED. ANOTHER POKEY. — Our long-standing feud with Los Angeles continued. Instead of it being with the county, this time, it was with the city. Mayor Tom Bradley made lots of trumpeting noises that the CITY was going to build a huge prison here — on land which it did not own. Pretty much everybody, including county Supervisor Mike Antonovich, was against the idea of constructing a 1,700-acre big house on the former site of the Saugus Rehab Center. Bradley pretty much went down in flames on this one. • • • Doggone, I sure appreciate these mornings with you saddlepals. Thanks for the company and let’s get together next week with another trail ride through one of the richest historical centers in America — our home and valley. See you in seven and, until then — vayan con Dios, amigos!
