On January 16, 1877, the Newhall Post Office was officially established at the original town site of Newhall, the modern Saugus Pardee area.

The first Newhall postmaster was local merchant George Campton, a key figure in the community’s early growth.

Postal records from the U.S. Post Office Department (precursor to the United States Postal Service) confirm that the office was created on that date, with Campton appointed as its inaugural postmaster.

During the first 184 days of operation in the fiscal year ending June 30, 1877, Campton received only $29.26 in compensation, reflecting the modest size of the young community. The post office was initially established along Route No. 46129, though early service details are limited.

George Campton’s path to Santa Clarita began far from California. Born in the West Indies in 1839, he moved with his family to Toronto, Canada, where his father, a British Army officer, later opened a mercantile business.

George Campton, believed to be the man at right, is seen in front of his store in about 1877. (SCV History)

At just 16, Campton launched his own butcher shop, beginning a career in entrepreneurship that would shape his role in Newhall. In 1861, he emigrated to San Francisco, continuing in the butcher trade before briefly trying his hand at mining in 1868.

When mining proved unprofitable, he transitioned into merchandising in Monterey County, first as a store clerk and later as the general manager of a large ranch.

In 1875, San Francisco businessman Henry Mayo Newhall purchased Rancho San Francisco, encompassing most of today’s western Santa Clarita Valley, and hired Campton as superintendent of the vast property.

When the Western Development Company, a subsidiary of the Southern Pacific Railroad, founded the town of Newhall in 1876 near present-day Saugus, Campton left Newhall’s employ to open his own general store in town at the junction of today’s Bouquet Canyon Road and Magic Mountain Parkway.

It was from this store that he served as the community’s first postmaster.

Two years later, the entire town relocated south to its present site along Railroad Avenue and Market Street. Campton moved his business as well, reopening his store at 8th Street and Railroad Avenue.

His enterprise became a central hub for residents, offering dry goods, groceries, clothing, boots and shoes, farm implements, lumber, and household items. Campton’s General Store would later become infamous when it was destroyed in an explosion on March 3, 1882.

According to U.S. Postal Service records compiled in 1940, Newhall’s postal service expanded steadily over the decades.

Domestic money order service began on July 5, 1887, followed by international money orders on July 1, 1921. Rural delivery was introduced on November 1, 1928.

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

KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.