On Aug. 6, 1892, Western film star and Saugus rodeo owner Hoot Gibson was born in Tekamah, Nebraska.  Born Edmund Richard Gibson, he spent the first seven years of his life in Tekamah, where he learned to ride horses before his family moved to California. As a teenager in California, Gibson worked on a ranch and began competing in local ...

On June 20, 1958, future NASCAR Hall of Famer Ron Hornaday Jr. was born in Palmdale. However, his racing roots and legacy began when he competed at Saugus Speedway in the Santa Clarita Valley. Before becoming one of NASCAR’s most accomplished drivers, Hornaday launched his career on the quarter-mile asphalt oval at one of SCV’s most iconic landmarks, Saugus Speedway, ...

On April 11, 1926, crowds gathered in Saugus for one of the earliest known rodeos held at Roy Baker’s ranch – a rugged, open stretch of land that would soon become a cornerstone of Santa Clarita Valley history. Guests were treated to a full day of classic Western competition, from bareback riding and wild cow milking to high-speed relay races ...

After standing for more than half a century, the last of the Saugus Speedway grandstands were torn down on November 9, 2012, marking the end of an era at one of Santa Clarita’s most storied landmarks. Once home to roaring stock cars, rodeo crowds, and the famous Saugus Swap Meet, the Saugus Speedway grandstands had been deemed unsafe in 1995 ...

On this day in Santa Clarita history, Bonelli Stadium, later known as Saugus Speedway, hosted the first post-World War II auto race on the West Coast, with Billy Vukovich taking the checkered flag. Bonelli Stadium had gone dark during the war, with racing paused from June 30, 1942, until the war’s end.  The long-awaited return to racing came just days ...

For more than half a century, the roar of racing engines and the bustle of weekend swap meets made Saugus Speedway a cornerstone of the Santa Clarita Valley. Now, nearly 20 years after the track closed, one of its most iconic pieces, the scoreboard sign, is now coming home. The sign, preserved for the past eight years by Valley Relics ...

On this day nearly a century ago, the first major competition and second annual rodeo, at the new Baker Ranch arena – later Saugus Speedway – was held.  The rodeo stadium sat more than 18,000 seats, while the entire Santa Clarita Valley population was only an estimated 3,000. On the infamous day, photographers lined the track to catch the inevitable ...

On this date 87 years ago, the Los Angeles flood of 1938 devastated the region, washing away homes and leading to lasting changes in Southern California’s flood control infrastructure. The flooding that struck the Santa Clarita Valley in March 1938 and the Central Valley the preceding year were deemed by a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers “more ...

The beloved Santa Clarita Swap Meet is closing at the end of the month after serving the Santa Clarita Valley for 60 years.  The Santa Clarita Swap Meet, which calls the Saugus Speedway home, will be closing on Sunday, Oct. 27, said Doug Bonelli, one of seven cousins who own the Speedway. The Santa Clarita Swap Meet has been a ...

A handful of developments are waiting to be discussed in the Tuesday, Sept. 17 edition of the Santa Clarita Planning Commission meeting. One project on the docket is Master Case 22-151, a hillside development review and an Oak Tree Permit to subdivide a single residential lot on Warmuth Road and Triumph Avenue into three residential lots. The recommended actions for ...