I’m going to share something funny, both weird and “ha-ha”. Because of all the time travel I do in my work, I ALREADY know what to expect on the way back into SCV history this weekend. And it’s so cool, I smile and can’t wait to snake my way into the vortex of time and see it all again.
This is an excellent week with lots of Ge Whiz material to corner people the next time you meet. That’s true. I said “get together”. Live dangerously. Get within 5-3 / 4 feet of someone.
WAY BACK, IF AND THEN SOME
GREETING ANOTHER HISTORIC HART MASCOT NAMESAKE – Olympic star Wa-Tho-Huk was born this week in 1887 in the Oklahoma Territory. There is some debate about whether it was May 22nd or May 28th. Wa-Tho-Huk, translated as “light path”, did an amazing job and won both the Pentathlon and the decathlon at the 1912 Olympic Games. One of the greatest American athletes of all time, he later came to Newhall to make several films in Placerita Canyon. Most know him by his American name – Jim Thorpe.
TALKING BIRTHDAYS WESTERN – Marion Robert Morrison was born on May 26, 1907 in Winterset, Iowa. He, too, would spend a lot of time in the Santa Clarita Valley filming westerns. Most know him by his stage name John Wayne.
Sure was a quick detour – Famous film director DW Griffith spent much of March and April at Camulos Rancho shooting “Ramona”. It was adapted from one of the most historically significant novels in American history and, interestingly, the author Helen Hunt Jackson found inspiration for her book during her stay in Camulos. On May 23, 1910, Griffith released the classic film for the masses across the country. People lined up around the block to watch the film.
May 22, 1921
FREE LIGHT SHOW – A century ago we said goodbye to one of the strangest and most unique skies since the first Anasazi stepped on the SCV more than 5,000 years ago. Due to the special atmospheric conditions, the locals here and in Southern California experienced the almost full and lively Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights. And no. You mustn’t mumble: “Global warming”.
WELCOME TO THE HOTEL, um … FRAZIER PARK? – – May 21st marked the grand opening of one of the classiest resorts in Southern California – the Lebec Hotel. Just a half-hour drive north of here, it was originally known as Hotel Durant. This can get confusing so be careful. The ORIGINAL Hotel Lebec was built in 1916 to accommodate travelers on the brand new State Ridge Route. The owner, Thomas O’Brian, later partnered with car dealer Clifford Durant to build a posh, 100-room, supposedly “fire-proof” hotel. It would become a famous hideaway for LA’s who’s who and your ordinary, weary garden variety traveler. The Durant Hotel had electricity and “a phone in every room!” About a year later, Foster Curry of the Curry Lodge in Yosemite bought the dig and made further improvements. The “refractory” promise? A fire in 1923, triggered by an exploding furnace, burned down several remote buildings and huts. Historian Alan Pollack noted a rather black and ironic tidbit: “An association of insurance specialists left the hotel the day before the fire after completing a three-day meeting.”
TALKING OF FIRE – Our town hall burned down that day. Mrs. William Mayhue, the wife of the Ag magnate, woke before daybreak with the flames flickering in her bedroom window. The alarm soon went off and the Newhall and Saugus volunteer firefighters rushed to the scene. But the old Conrad Hall, built in 1908 by Charles Conrad, burned down quickly and firefighters focused on dousing the other neighboring buildings with water. Conrad had just sold the building to a Mr. A. Culver two months earlier. What made the fire suspicious was that it was the third hall that had burned down in the past 18 months. Another Conrad Hall burned down in 1919 and the Honby dance hall was set on fire. In addition, there were two fires in the pool hall at the time, resulting in a total of five suspicious entertainment complex fires. I told the story of a jealous young man who claimed a beautiful young girl. The story was, he hated her having a good time and kept burning Newhall’s hot spots.
SAUGUS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. AND POTATO FIELD. – – That day, Sgt. TJ Fowler landed his Curtiss biplane on a Saugus potato field. His craft got out of whack and Fowler landed almost perfectly. In the end, the nose staggered forward and the propeller popped off.
May 22, 1931
PENNY ANTE – The South Pacific was celebrating the summer vacation and had a special offer for railroad drivers – one cent per mile to any destination. Seriously. You can take the train from Newhall Depot to Saugus Depot for 2 ¢. Beats walking.
May 22, 1941
WOULD BE MADE EASIER TO STAMP IT SECTION 8 – Clarence Compton, conscientious objector, had considered all military service. Although he could not take another’s life, he took his own life and committed suicide by poisoning with carbon monoxide in a distant canyon.
Farewell, our German neighbors – Just a few months before we would wage war with Germany, Saxonia Park held a German festival in Placerita Canyon. Multi-course dinners, games, refreshments, and dancing were only 40 cents. Saxony was THE big place for Germanic parties, and people of that race or interest flooded the SCV by the thousands – that is, until 1941. In December, after Pearl Harbor, the park was turned into a military camp.
May 22, 1951
GOING DRAG. – – A Los Angeles drag racer set a course record in his souped-up coupe on the old 6-S Ranch Strip in Canyon Country, burned the quarter mile and hit 115 mph. No It wasn’t Pat Arman. He was just a baby.
May 22, 1961
ODDBALL BURGLAR – Bad guys headed out with everything from booze to 150 used generators from the old Barker / Nochester garage in Mint Canyon. What on earth do you do with 150 used car generators?
May 22, 1971
AH, CHILDREN … – Four 16-year-olds were arrested here for a series of 47 break-ins. Lots of change and cash totaled more than $ 1,000.
Goodbye, dear IDA – That day Ida Edwards died. The Val Verde Matron made headlines two years earlier. Upon returning home from Oklahoma, she found that the county had “accidentally” condemned and bulldozed her home. For a while she had to live in a youth tent donated by Boy Scouts. A group of citizens and Newhall Land handed the hat and built their brand new home.
GO BERSERK – The cost of sending a letter rose – by one cent. Ouch.
THE WISDOM OF SOLOMON – Judge Adrian Adams ruled on a case in which a couple was accused of disturbing the peace and quarreling with neighbors. Adams ordered the couple to write a 500-word essay on the subject, “How Mahatma Gandhi would have solved my neighborhood’s problems. “The defendant, Ms. Flo Harsla, was supposed to write the tape about how she would make her block a better place. The Harslas, who had children ages 8 to 19, were found guilty of starting quarrels ranging from swearing to punching.
It’s a breeze – A plague of Old Testament proportions hit the SCV 50 years ago. Hundreds of thousands of bugs invaded the valley and invaded everything from people’s hair to their pancakes. A Valencian housewife complained that she literally had to sweep her bed before going to sleep. The Ag department unfortunately noticed that the only thing that wasn’t necessary in order to build a moat around your house (the little crawlers don’t like water) was to wait and see. Cinch bugs are wandering and stay in one place for a maximum of two weeks.
BACK TO OUR GOOD OL ‘CARNY DAYS – Some of you oldtimers will remember it – the Jaycee Fair. It opened half a century ago this week. It was an old-fashioned country fair with rides and games that no ordinary person could win. They had a battle of local bad garage bands, greased pole climbing competitions, pig calls, and a yo-yo and beer drinking competition. It attracted more than 50,000 people. We don’t have the fair any more.
May 22, 1981
THE FOSTER FREEZING – The superintendent of the Saugus Schools, James Foster, attempted to close Valley View Elementary. Reason? Not enough kids, too much effort. VVE only had 175 students enrolled, although the campus was built for 500 people. The move has been called “Foster’s Folly” by some.
SEX WAX – I just had dinner with former Canyon Football coaching legend Harry Welch last week and we had a chat about the following. There was a big protest at Canyon High. About 100 students gathered to express their displeasure over an administrative ban on these high-profile, curvy “Dolfin” shorts for girls and the “Sex Wax” T-shirts for boys. Next to the theater, deputy director John Schirmer confiscated two rolls of film from a signal photographer. John later returned the film.
THESE WACKY CALARTIANS – CalArts was graduating 11th year and as always it was a hoot. After receiving his diploma, a graduate jumped into a magic box and let friends slide swords through. Another accepted a handcuffed diploma and gave CalArts President Bob Fitzpatrick the key to release him. Another had an ax in her head and fake blood – a joke about budget cuts. Another gave a two-word speech: “Beat Julliard!”
MONTANA IN ENGLAND –Local cowboy Montie Montana and his wife Elly prepared to meet a very special host – the Queen of England. Montie was asked what he wanted to say to Elizabeth. His answer: “Howdy, ma’am. I’m sure it’s nice to see you. Do you have any little things in the house? Some grits and gravy? “Montie never quite delivered that speech, but he is most famous for captivating President Dwight David Eisenhower, to the horror of the Secret Service.
Puppy I bet you’re all a little bit smarter after today’s time trial through history, unless you weren’t paying attention or fell asleep in the saddle, which arguably falls under the category of inattention. That was fun, wasn’t it? See you in seven. We will do it again. Until then – vayan con Dios amigos!
Boston has set up its own publisher, John Boston Books. The first is a three volume set called “Ghosts, Ghouls, Myths & Monsters – The Haunted Town in America”. That would be us. In the meantime, you can purchase Boston’s “Melancholy Samurai,” “Naked Came the Sasquatch,” and other of his books at bit.ly/John_Boston. If you enjoyed the book, you wouldn’t mind if you gave it a friendly 5 star rating.
