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Good thing we have this miracle of time traveling. Otherwise, I’d be hard-pressed to sprint back here from the High Sierras to meet up with you saddlepals. We have a splendiferous ride through local history ahead. We never seem to run out of people shooting themselves accidentally and this week, it’s no exception. Except we’ve got TWO- count them- TWO self-perforating gunmen.

We have old Newhall burning down and a record August rain. Then, there’s this woeful tale of when the local prison accidentally tried to poison all of their inmates. We’ve got… Well. We’ve got lots. C’mon. We’re burnin’ daylight…

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(Photo Caption— And, they later built some mighty fine cars, too. This is an A6-M5 Zero, a World War 2 fighter plane. The war was in full bloom and America’s involvement was right around the corner. On this date, the Civilian Air Defense formed a mounted posse unit in the Santa Clarita Valley. First job was to look for suspicious airplanes. Second was to patrol the hills, looking for terrorists who might blow up train tracks in the SCV or start fires. Interestingly, since 1900, the SCV has been infamous for being one of the Top 10 Strategic Military Targets in the world. That just makes you sleep better, doesn’t it?)

WAY, WAY BACK WHEN —

— Today is Saugus’s birthday. The town was founded on September 1, 1887. Same day the Castaic Train Depot was dedicated, too. By the way. I was talking to my dear pal and eagle-eyed scout, Tony Newhall recently. He shared that of course Saugus was named after the boyhood home of Henry Mayo Newhall — Tony’s distant great-grand-papa to the nth. But, that the word, “Saugus,” comes from the Algonquin word to describe a wide plain, beach or sandy spit as the one north of Boston. Hmm. Sandy Spit. I think Bob Kellar dated her in high school.

— On September 5th, 1876, millionaire banker Charles Crocker hit an allegedly solid silver hammer into an allegedly solid gold spike at the dedication linking Northern and Southern California together at Lang Station in upper Canyon Country. No need to look. They pried the gold spike out and replaced it with one of those ugly ones.

SEPTEMBER 1, 1921 —

— The year 1921 marked the Summer of Fires for the SCV. A passing tourist was seen flicking a match from a moving car roaring through Placerita Canyon, near the Walker Ranch. It started a 500-acre blaze.

— William S. Hart’s film, “The Whistle,” debuted at the Cody Theatre in San Fernando.

SEPTEMBER 1, 1931 —

— Newhall Land & Farming lost seven acres of shrubbery to a brush fire. It had just dropped a record August rain of nearly 3 inches the day before, too.

— Prices kept falling locally during the Great Depression. The Newhall Bakery lowered their asking price for bread — 2 24-ounce loaves for just 15 cents.

SEPTEMBER 1, 1941 —

— More hunting accidents. Ruby Boncquet had to have several shotgun pellets removed from her legs and, ahem, turn the children riders away for a moment — derriere. Ms. Boncquet’s companion was cleaning his empty gun when it went off and hit his loved one in the south side. Same day, Fred Tellerbach shot off his index and middle fingers. How DO these people manage to wrap their hands around the business end of rifles?

— Dove hunting season arrived and some bird hunters were blamed for poor aim. They blew out a glass telephone line insulator on which some winged fauna were perched. We lost national phone service for a while.

SEPTEMBER 1, 1951 —

— This could be used to quell some of those riots at Peter Pitches Maximum Security prison (called Wayside Honor Rancho in ’51). Trying to find tasty but really cheap meals sometimes presented a problem for the chefs at Wayside. On this date, 40 of the 700 inmates became sick after eating pig liver. The Sheriff’s Dept. had purchased 3,000 pounds of the stuff to feed to the inmates. Talk about crime deterrents. All the inmates went on a short-lived hunger strike to protest the 1.5 tons of post Porky Pig. As a sign of good will, the Sheriff’s cooked a gourmet meal of roast leg of spring lamb and had the inmates bury the remaining tonnage of liver somewhere on the rancho. How’d you like the remnants of THAT swimming in your ground water?

— Wilbur Hawley died on this date. He was famous for opening the Hawley Drug Store on the corner of Market and San Fernando Road in the 1920s. He later sold his business in 1940 to the Smidts and it would later become the Newhall Pharmacy. Hawley retired to his Placerita Canyon ranch in 1940.

— The American Theatre was showing the first-run oater, “Cattle Drive” on this date. It starred Joel McCrea, who, by the way, was William S. Hart’s paperboy when Hart lived in L.A.

— The 1951 want ads of The Then Mighty Signal had more classifieds for weapons and livestock than it did for cars. Not to be too snooty, but I’m wondering if that trend is going to be circular in the near future.

SEPTEMBER 1, 1961 —

— We had not had a fire in Downtown Newhall since 1927, when the old Chaix grocery store burned down at 8th and San Fernando Roads. On this date, the old building that used to house the famous Campton general store burned to the ground. Campton’s had originally been built in Saugus, in 1876 and was called Campton’s Market. Two years later, later, it then moved into Newhall and held the big bold logo of just, “George Campton,” after the owner. Campton’s faced Railroad Avenue (or Main Street, the main drag through Newhall, at 8th Street.). In 1914, it was moved back to face Spruce Street (today, San Fernando Road) and a new face was put on it. After George C. got out of the general store and post office business, several other establishments used his building. They were: Bricker’s Radio Shop, McIntyre Gift Shop, The People’s Market; M&N Market, a butcher shop, then, finally, Hilburn’s Funeral Parlor. Campton’s old wooden building sat between Newhall Liquor & Deli and the John & Leon Meat Market, where the fire had started. A lot of businesses around town have that famous picture of Campton’s in their establishments today.

SEPTEMBER 1, 1971 —

— Progress outstripped people in the new Venture Homes tract. Folks moved into their brand new homes, then discovered there wasn’t any telephone wiring. Many of the new residents had to wait three months before getting connected. Get this. Trying to help the frustrating comedy, Pacific Bell installed a pay phone in the middle of the housing tract that had to be shared by all the neighbors.

SEPTEMBER 1, 1981 —

— When Nature calls, Nature calls. Alejandra Villafana stopped north of Castaic to relieve herself i— the shrubbery off I-5. For some reason, she brought along a .22 caliber revolver. Ms. Villafana began a single deep knee bend behind some highway flora and lowered her britches. That is when, of course, the revolver was no longer secured by the miracle of the elastic waistband. The gun hit the ground. It discharged, sending a bullet into her, ahem, most upper thigh. She finished her business, then drove herself to the hospital.

— — — — — — —

Well. Thanks so much for the company. I’ve got some tall riding to do to get back to the back high country of the Eastern Sierras. I sincerely mean it, saddlepals — I sure enjoy sharing this valley with you. Hope I’m not imposing when I wish we can ride all over again next Thursday starting right here at The West Ranch Beacon. Until that adventure comes, vayan con Dios, amigos!