On this day in Santa Clarita history, October 7, 1849, the Jayhawker Party crossed paths with another wagon train making its way toward California during the Gold Rush, setting the stage for a desperate journey through the desert that would eventually bring survivors to the Santa Clara River Valley. The story begins during the California Gold Rush, after James W. ...

On Feb. 4, 1850, the survivors of the “Jayhawkers of ‘49” emerged from Death Valley into the Rancho San Francisco near Newhall. In April 1849, a party of 36 people departed from Galesburg, IL, becoming the first White group to cross Death Valley. Troubles set in early for the band of travelers, forcing them to seek a new route. Even ...