On May 7, 1861, a new infrastructure project was greenlit by the California State Assembly to pave a toll road between the Newhall Pass, creating a traversable main roadway to and from Santa Clarita. The California State Assembly granted a 20-year contract “to build and construct a turnpike road from the ex-Mission of San Fernando, across the San Fernando Mountain ...

On Feb. 14, 1876, Gen. Andrés Pico, the last Mexican military commander in Alta California and a key figure in early Santa Clarita Valley history, died at his home at 203 Main St. in Los Angeles. Pico is best remembered for his role in ending hostilities in California during the Mexican-American War. On Jan. 13, 1847, he signed the Treaty ...

On Feb. 2, 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed, formally ending the Mexican-American War and transferring California, including what is now the Santa Clarita Valley, from Mexican control to the United States. The treaty concluded a conflict that had already ended in California more than a year earlier. On Jan. 13, 1847, Mexican Gen. Andrés Pico formally surrendered ...

On Jan. 25, 1915, Ramon Perea, an early oilman in Pico Canyon and a vintner and rancher in San Francisquito Canyon, died at the age of 76. Though often overshadowed in later oil histories, Perea’s name appears prominently in early school-era accounts of Pico Canyon, written by children who grew up in and around Mentryville in the early 20th century. ...

On January 13, 1847, Mexican Gen. Andrés Pico formally surrendered to U.S. forces under Col. John C. Frémont, effectively ending hostilities between the United States and Mexico in California. The agreement, known as the Treaty of Cahuenga, was signed near present-day Universal City and served as a cease-fire that brought the fighting in Alta California to a close. The treaty ...

Henry Clay Wiley, one of the early pioneers of Los Angeles and the Santa Clarita Valley, passed away at his home in Los Angeles on October 25, 1898, at the age of 69. Born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1829, Wiley spent much of his life shaping Southern California communities through public service, civic involvement, and entrepreneurial ventures. Wiley’s early life ...