Residents across the Santa Clarita Valley and much of Southern California looked skyward in amazement on Aug. 7, 1901, when a meteor streaked across the night sky.

The fiery object, described as a “great ball of greenish-white fire,” was visible across a wide swath of the region, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Witnesses reported hearing loud booms, rumbling sounds and explosive cracks that echoed through the mountains for several minutes after the meteor passed overhead.

According to a Sept. 1, 1901, investigation by the Times, the meteor’s descent sparked widespread speculation.

Some residents believed a powder magazine had exploded, others thought a train carrying dynamite had detonated, while some feared a supernatural event or even the end of the world.

To determine where the meteor landed, the newspaper dispatched an expedition into the rugged mountains north of Saugus.

The team spent nine days on horseback interviewing ranchers and mountaineers throughout the region, eventually narrowing the likely impact area to the lower end of the “Chicalopes Range” between Texas Canyon and Deadman’s Canyon – the old name for lower Bouquet Canyon – approximately 17 to 18 miles northeast of the original community of Saugus.

Modern maps suggest that the site where the meteor was found is close to the current intersection of Texas Canyon and Bouquet Canyon Roads.

Despite an extensive search, no meteorite fragments were found. Investigators concluded the object likely exploded in the atmosphere and disintegrated into dust before reaching the ground.

The event became the subject of local folklore. One Mint Canyon resident, Jack Temple, insisted the glowing object was the spirit of a recently deceased recluse returning to haunt Texas Canyon.

Other longtime residents compared the sounds to a Civil War battlefield, describing an escalating series of reports followed by a prolonged roar.

To read yesterday’s Today in SCV History, click here.

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