Newhall Land donates historic items

Tataviam Indian artifacts found by archaeologists working on the cross valley connector are now on public display, thanks to a donation by the Newhall Land and Farming Company.

The company presented the artifacts to the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society Thursday night, ensuring that items found during construction of the East-West Valley Connector will be preserved for future generations.

“The Tataviam represent an important part of the early history of the Santa Clarita Valley,” said Society President Alan Pollack. “Although they lived in the valley for hundreds of years before the first contact with Europeans (the Portola Expedition of 1769) there is still much to learn about the life of these Native Americans. Hopefully these artifacts will shed further light on how these people lived their daily lives.”

The artifacts are on display at the Saugus Train Station Museum in Heritage Junction at Hart Park. The museum is open from 1-4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Heritage Junction is located at 24151 San Fernando Road in downtown Newhall.