KHTS Radio Santa Clarita Radio – Santa Clarita News
Today, March 9, 2016, marks the 174 anniversary of the discovery of gold in California at the Oak of the Golden Dream in Placerita Canyon.
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Photo courtesy of Leon Worden
“Oak of the Golden Dream in Placerita Canyon, where legend says Lopez napped and dreamed of riches.”
Get live news updates about Santa Clarita by following KHTS on Facebook and KHTS on TwitterThe following is an excerpt from SCV History.
Lopez paused to rest with his two companions, Manuél Cota and Domingo Bermudez. As the story goes, Lopez fell asleep in the shade of an oak tree and dreamed he was floating on a pool of gold. He awoke, crossed the little creek to a grove of sycamore trees, stuck his knife into the ground, unearthed some wild onions — and there, clinging to the roots, were chunks of gold. “I with my sheath knife,” Lopez later recalled, “dug up some wild onions, and in the earth discovered a piece of gold, and, searching further, found some more.”
That, of course, is the stuff of legend. The facts are a bit drier. But importantly to the gold history of California, they are documented.
About Placerita Canyon
Placerita is an east-west running canyon featuring cool, shaded oak groves, a willow and sycamore-lined seasonal stream and numerous other interesting plant and animal communities.
The historic “Oak of the Golden Dream” is the site of California’s original gold discovery in 1842.
Another landmark is the Walker Cabin, built by Frank Walker in 1920 for his family.
A network of self-guiding nature, history and hiking trails radiates out into the park from the Center, with longer hikes leading to a seasonal waterfall and to the top of the Santa Clarita Divide. Picnicking is available near the Nature Center.
The park encompasses oak woodland, chaparral, and riparian plant communities on the north side of the San Gabriel Mountains southeast of the City of Santa Clarita. The park not only serves to conserve a slice of the wild environment but also endeavors to educate the public on the value of undisturbed flora and fauna through wild animal presentations, nature hikes, and self-guided educational trails.
Please feel free to contact the Nature Center at (661) 259-7721, between 9 am and 5 pm, Tuesday through Sunday (the office is closed on Mondays.)
Placerita Canyon Natural Area is located at 19152 Placerita Canyon Rd, Newhall, CA, 91321. Click here for a map and directions.
