I’ll be there.
Doing nothing.
But I’ll be there.
That aside…
We’ve got Indian caves and stump removal tips, freak Spring storms and some kick-heinie police squads. There’s rodeo fights, local Oscar winners, oddball thefts and the passing of my former father-in-law and one of Hollywood’s most powerful executives: Ed Muhl.
Or, as we would call him behind his back when he was on the tractor doing about .3 mph: “Fast Eddie.”
(Photo caption: APRIL 28, 2001 — Rancher Ed Muhl, tractor-driver extraordinaire, grand host, hay baler, horse hotel owner, Newhall Hardware’s best customer, pruner of orchards and fields, community mover and shaker, enemy of weeds everywhere and one of the most powerful men in the history of Hollywood, made his transition a decade ago this week.
He was general manager of Universal Studios during its heyday and producer of countless famed movies, from Cary Grant flicks to “Spartacus.” He was on a par with the top studio czars and in my chats with him over yardwork on a grand scale, Ed confessed he did most of his best thinking atop an old Ford tractor. Ed owned this most excellent spread up Bouquet Canyon since the late 1940s (Ernest Borgnine still lives in the Beverly Hills house Ed sold him 60 years later) and there are more wonderful stories about the fellow than pebbles in the creek. He was, and is, a grand being, trusted boss and beloved ex-father-in-law. I am still sad to see him gone, happy he’s on a new adventure. He taught me proper tractoring and for that, I am grateful. For all the wonderful movies he had a hand in, and helping to create this darling, exciting family, more thanks.)
WAY, WAY BACK WHEN —
— April 29th, 1865, the financially-strapped Ignacio del Valle was forced to deed the Rancho San Francisco to Thomas R. Bard, who held onto it for a short time for a Pennsylvanian oil magnate. Interestingly, the del Valles and Salazars got to stay on the property and lease farmland into the 20th century and made more money than when they owned the land.
— On May 2, 1884, two teen-age brothers, McCoy and Everette Pyle, climbing around the hills of what would be Val Verde, discovered one of the most significant Indian artifact sites in American history. The cave they found would be named, oddly, Bowers Cave, in Chiquita Canyon, named after the Ventura amateur archaeologist and newspaper publisher who bought the boys cache. Bowers later sold his goodies to the Peabody Museum at Harvard where it still rests today.
APRIL 28, 1921 —
— Thornton Doelle finished second in the Moore’s Hall big pool tournament. Doelle lost the straight pool game, 103 balls to 150 and worse, to an out-of-town shark from San Fernando. We mention this because a few years later, Thornton, the local forest ranger, would later become editor of The (Then) Mighty Signal.
— Local cowboy Tom Mix rested his wonderhorse, Tony, for a week. Mix’s film, “The Road Demon,” was about auto racing and he didn’t use Tony, who, by the by, was born and raised in Placerita Canyon.
— Don’t tell the Sierra Club we know how to do this. But the local paper used to give out agriculture tips and one of them was about how to get rid of oak tree stumps. Here’s how: In the fall, bore a hole in the center of the stump 18 inches deep. Pour in two ounces of saltpeter and fill the rest with water. Plug up the hole tight. In the spring, take out the plug. Pour in eight ounces of petroleum and ignite. The stump will not burn but will smoke will just smolder for days all the way down to the roots, turning them to ashes.
APRIL 28, 1931 —
— We had an earthquake 80 years back that rattled windows and knocked a few cans off the shelf. Couldn’t tell you the Richter Scale rating. Didn’t have one.
— The farmers were real happy about a rare, end of April storm which dumped nearly 3 inches of rain on the valley. This ended a three-month drought. Or, “drouth” as it was spelt way back when. While the farmers were happy, the cowboys were not. It postponed the rodeo at the Hoot Gibson Arena. Next week though, they filled the place with about 25,000 people.
APRIL 28, 1941 —
— Yet more rain to end April. Another Pacific storm dumped an inch-plus on the SCV, pushing the then-record up to 46.80 for the season. Locals were growing webbed feet. The rain also caused landslides throughout the valley. About 2,000 yards of earth fell across Highway 99, knocking a car off the road.
— Though war seemed to be half a world away, the Santa Clarita was quietly preparing. About 50 men a day were registering for the draft.
— The Department of Agriculture, which operated the national parks and forests then, started quietly closing many of the local backroads. They feared sabotage from German or Japanese nationals.
— The big Newhall-Saugus Rodeo was a success again, with 20,000 folks showing up on the last Sunday at Bonelli (Saugus Speedway) Stadium. One cowboy was rather depressed at the Sunday Finals. He had gone to the dance the night before at Saxonia Park in Placerita Canyon. Another cowpoke’s wife stormed up to the fella and accused him of picking on her husband. “I can’t stand excitement!” the woman yelled, right before hauling off and popping the cowboy. Much to his chagrin and enjoyment of his fellow rodeo toughs, the fellow had to compete Sunday with a huge shiner. From a cowgirl.
APRIL 28, 1951 —
— You know how the post office boasts it’ll go to work no matter what the weather conditions? Ditto with the Newhall Saugus Rodeo. While the wild west show was celebrating its silver anniversary (they had actually been holding rodeos on the Saugus Speedway grounds much, much earlier than 1926), cowboys and audience were being pelted by the wildest weather — rain, snow flurries hail and icy winds, which knocked down signs and tree limbs around town. Still, another 25,000 showed to watch. Ben Johnson took 4th in the team roping. The Newhall cowpoke later would earn a little more important hardware — an Oscar for best supporting actor in “The Last Picture Show.”
APRIL 28, 1961 —
— Heinz Deiter Fleczok treated himself to an extra orifice on this date. While target shooting in Newhall with a .22 caliber pistol, he ran up the hill with the gun in his hand. He pulled the trigger and a bullet went through his knee. Yee-ouch.
APRIL 28, 1971 —
— Some crook with a mighty big jar got away with 1,100 gallons of gasoline from the Texaco station up Sierra Highway. Here’s what hurts. Value of the stolen 1,100 gallons of petrol — $235. That’s like a fill-up in my truck. Sad thing is, I’m not kidding.
— Magic Mountain wouldn’t open up until May 21, 1971. But that didn’t mean they didn’t have long lines. Around 15,000 people stood in the heat to apply for 1,000 jobs.
— The special S.E.B. unit of the L.A. Sheriff’s Dept. had a long and sometimes acrimonious relationship with the SCV. The Signal sent a reporter to cover a “Rock for Pot” concert in Agua Dulce. There were no musicians at the concert, just a few speakers for the legalization of marijuana. Jim Sendrey was arrested for interfering with an officer. His camera was smashed, film confiscated and shirt torn open while he was handcuffed. He was one of 28 people arrested at the non-concert — out of a total of 75 people. Some were pulled over for having broken or non-functioning tailights. After Sendry was arrested, a journalism student and Signal intern, Sam Monteleone, covered the event. He was ordered to leave by the S.E.B. On the other hand, there were 14 burglaries in the Agua Dulce area during the Rock for Pot non-concert. Scott Newhall, publisher of The (Then) Mighty Signal, called the S.E.B., “The Sheriff’s Gestapo,” and “neo-Nazi elite guard,” in a front-page editorial entitled: “A Demand on the Sheriff.” At the end of Scott’s piece, he invited Sheriff Peter Pitchess to call him at the 259-1234 number, “…and we will be happy to explain the matter in words of two syllables.”
— On April 30th, 1971, the alleged last passenger train pulled through the Saugus Train Station at 6:37 p.m. It was the end of nearly a century of train service in the SCV and the passenger train wouldn’t return here until the advent of Metrolink.
APRIL 28, 1981 —
— John Nichols, murderer of a Newhall barber, was literally caught naked dead to rights in a Honolulu shower. Federal marshals cornered the murdered in a skid row Hawaiian public shower. Right after being released from Leavenworth, Nichols got a job working for Richard Streigel. He killed the Newhall haircutter, stole $400 and the man’s barber’s tools before fleeing to the 50th state.
— My pal Tom Lee’s life seems to run in 10-year increments. He recently retired 10 years ago nearly to the day after 30 years with Newhall Land & Farming Co. On this date, 30 years back, he was named president of Valencia Corporation. When he took over, new homes ran from $50,000 to a high of $240,000. I guess we can safely blame him for the price hike.
— Pays to keep your eyes open while you’re hiking. While strolling through the hills of Canyon Country, teen Tim Wilson found a leg bone to a giant Pleistocene camel called Camelops. The beast lived her around 12,000 years ago and was 13-feet tall at the shoulders.
— — —
We’ve notched another trail ride through time, saddlepals. Sure appreciate the company. I’ll be moseying by next Sunday with a brand new Time Ranger adventure and, until then, vayan con Dios, amigos!