Still. It’s Thursday now and we’ve got some impressive vistas to explore in Santa Clarita history. There’s SoCal Edison accusing politicians of grandstanding on the electricity issue — 80 years back. We’ve got pranksters, bartenders, cat trappers and more self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
C’mon, you partyers.
Just roll your clothes in a ball, climb into the saddles and you can get dressed on the other side of the SCV time continuum, where there is no such things as hangovers.
(Photo Caption: — On this date in 1951, the L.A. City Council, working secretly with the County Board of Supervisors, sold out the Santa Clarita Valley by signing contracts with a large Fontana hog rancher to let him move nearly 100,000 of his creatures to the SCV. The hogs were used to consume garbage for the city of L.A. Our big neighbors to the south had plans to turn the entire valley into one big smelly hog ranch and run garbage trains around the clock through town. Eventually, the garbage men were stopped.)
WAY, WAY BACK WHEN —
— Back on June 9, 1842, the governor of California gave Francisco Lopez the Rancho Temescal for his kind gift of discovering gold in the Santa Clarita Valley and handing it over to the governor.
— On June 8, 1851, Henry Clay Needham was born in Kentucky. He would later become the only Santa Claritan to run for the presidency. The Prohibitionist ran for president three times (not counting the California governor’s seat and a couple of cracks at U.S. senator). While he did fairly well as a third-party candidate, Henry never carried his own SCV once in any election.
— Back on June 12, 1868, the Soledad Post Office was established in the community of Ravenna, which was about halfway between Acton and Agua Dulce. The population of the mining town was over 1,000 souls.
JUNE 9, 1921 —
— A certain then-mighty local newspaper noted that Placerita Canyon was one of the prettiest tourist drives in Southern California and that “Twenty to one hundred machines pass through the long scenic road every day.” Wow. That many. One of the problems of Placerita’s road was that it was dirt, impassable during part of the year, was narrow and dangerous in spots, and, you had to open and close many gates during your drive.
JUNE 9, 1931 —
— It was one of the oddest practical jokes pulled on this community. A man called from a Ridge Route pay phone, saying his plane had crashed in the hills. He left a description and registration numbers of his plane, then hitched a ride into Glendale, wearing full 1930s aeroplane regalia — leather helmet, goggles, flying jumpsuit. After a three-day search for the wreckage, turned out the plane the man had described was sitting peacefully in a hanger in Nebraska. Folks were wondering if the elaborate ruse was just to hitch a free ride into Glendale.
— We’ve certainly hammered home the theme of history being circular. On this date, 80 years back, W.C. Mullendore, vice-president of Southern California Edison, lashed out at politicians who were criticizing SCE and other power companies. The pols were condemning the utilities for price gouging and manipulation. Mullendore accused the politicians and critics of SCE of grandstanding and serving their own careers.
JUNE 9, 1941 —
— The local farmers were treated to an unusual parade on this date. A line of motorized army vehicles from the 15th Infantry division stretching over a mile long passed through the SCV. They stopped at Newhall Ranch along the side of the road for lunch, too.
— Another self-inflicted gunshot wound. This time, 16-year-old Bill Golden took his girlfriend for a picnic up Villa Canyon (near Castaic). The .22 caliber rifle he was carrying accidentally went off, sending a bullet through his calf. That’d be his lower leg part. Not his livestock. That pretty much ruined the picnic.
— Big Leon Cherry led the Newhall 9 to a league pennant in the Southwestern semi-pro league. Leon hit 4-for-5.
JUNE 9, 1951 —
— This was the worst case parental nightmare. A 10-year-old boy up Soledad Canyon just moved into the valley with his family. He went out to play and a few hundred yards from his home, he found a cardboard box in the brush filled with shotgun shells, electrical fittings and 96 TNT blasting caps. The little kid lost both his hands.
— On this date, Harry Osler bought the old shoe shop on San Fernando Road (then, Spruce St.) and called it Harry’s Shoe Repair. Harry ran it for decades. The guy he bought it from? L.B. Dull. What a name for a fellow who polishes shoes. Mr. Dull, by the way, started his business back in 1927. He was also the valley’s first school bus driver.
JUNE 9, 1961 —
— Hart High had two pitchers in the bigs. George Conrad joined Paul Mosley on the Angel’s farm team in the Western Carolina league. Mosley struck out 101 batters in 91 innings as an All-CIF pitcher and batted a hefty .482. Conrad would set a semi-pro record for the time, striking out 177 batters.
JUNE 9, 1971 —
— Not even Newhall Hardware carries this type of fitting. Some locals were in awe of the construction of the state water project. A reinforced concrete pipe, 20-feet in diameter, made its way across the valley. It weighed over 150 tons.
— Charlie Tripp might have been valedictorian at Hart except for one small problem — he had a beard. Charlie had been home schooled for his senior year, due to arthritis. He grew a beard at home but had to shave it off if he wanted to attend graduation, so said principal “Easy” Ed Fickenscher.
JUNE 9, 1981 —
— Whoops. John Israelson of Canyon Country was being pestered by a gopher, so, he set out a coyote trap in his front yard. He didn’t catch a gopher, but he did manage to nail two of his neighbors cats. He apologized profusely and got hit with a $27 fine — that’s $13.50 per feline.
— Signal gossip columnist Mimi (Ruth Newhall) reported that some merry pranksters switched some letters on the Mann Cinema sign, replacing the “Ci” with a giant “E.” Mimi looked on the bright side: “Glad to know that at least SOME kids are learning spelling in school.”
— Mario Batugo, nephew of Tip’s world famous mixologist, Bobby, earned top honors as America’s best bartender. Mario concocted the famous, “Blue Heaven” drink. Same competition, Bobby placed third with his vodka “New Day” drink. The Batugo’s held a stranglehold on bartending competitions over the years. Starting in 1971, Bobby started with a fourth-place finish, then took the grand nationals in 1973, ’75 and ’78. Loy Batugo (Bobby’s brother and Mario’s dad) and another Tip’s bartender, Leo Lindogan, also were national winners over the years.
— — —
Thanks again so much for the company, dear saddlepals. See you next Thursday right here under the liberating glow of The West Ranch Beacon with a brand new Time Ranger adventure, and, until then — vayan con Dios, amigos!