The History Of The Santa Clarita Valley...On A Pole

In Third Grade, the children of the Santa Clarita Valley learn the history of their hometown.

Very few outside the immediate area of the Santa Clarita Valley, know our history.

In one of the coolest examples of public art, this history pole is number 1 in my book.

History should not just be taught in a classroom, history should be available to anyone and everyone.

This pole serves that purpose.

Here are the 7 signs on the pole, in order, oldest to youngest.

Tataviam Indians (our first residents), who go back to 450AD

Oak of the Golden Dream 1842

Lyons Station 1855

Mentryville Our first oil well 1869

The Golden Spike In California at Lang Station 1876

Newhall Ranch 1875

Melody Ranch 1936

The following is a description of each sign on the sculpture. I found this information HERE.

1. Tataviam: This band of Native American Indians inhabited the Santa Clarita Valley beginning in 450 AD. The arm points in a general direction since the tribe hunted and gathered throughout the area.

2. Oak of the Golden Dream: In 1842, gold was discovered in the Santa Clarita Valley when Juan Francisco Lopez pulled up some wild onions and found gold attached to the roots. A gold rush soon followed.

3. Lyon Station: Sanford and Cyrus Lyon bought Wiley’s Station in 1855 and renamed it Lyon’s Station. By 1868, the station consisted of a large-frame building housing a store, post office, stage depot and tavern. Once travelers made it through Beale’s Cut (another historical site) in the Newhall Pass, the station provided a place for a change of horses and a hot meal.

4. Mentryville: The location of the first California oil discovery in 1869 is in Pico Canyon. A boomtown rose up on this site to support those who came to work in the oil fields.

5. Lang Station: This is the site of the 1876 golden spike ceremony uniting the railroad lines of Northern and Southern California. The station was originally built in 1876 and then re-built in 1936 following a fire. Lang Station remained in use until the late 1960s when the Southern Pacific Railroad ended passenger service.

6. Newhall Ranch: The land purchased by Henry Mayo Newhall when he relocated his family from San Francisco to Southern California in the 1870’s became Newhall Ranch. Here he raised cattle and grew crops. Following his death in 1882, his four sons incorporated his business holdings and formed the Newhall Land and Farming Company (now known as Newhall Land).

7. Melody Ranch: Developed in 1936 as the Monogram* Movie Ranch, it was sold to Gene Autry in 1953 and became Melody Ranch. It was the location of many western movies and television shows and is now the home of the annual Cowboy Poetry Festival.

*A personal note, I worked for 30 years at Monogram Studios in Hollywood (KCET owned the property for 40 years).