On this day in 1935, scandal struck the Santa Clarita Valley when 29-year-old Mrs. Gladys Carter, the wife of a sheriff’s deputy, shot and killed her husband’s mistress in Placerita Canyon. The victim, 20-year-old Frances Isabelle Walker, was one of the 12 Walker children of Placerita Canyon, born to Frank and Hortense. She and her siblings were largely raised in ...

On this day, March 31, 1870 George Gleason, a miner, and his partners applied for a patent on a gold lode in Soledad Canyon near Acton, Ca.  In the 1860s, the Soledad Mining District of California was at the height of its prominence, driving economic growth in what is now known as the Santa Clarita Valley.  This once-thriving region, including ...

On March 30, 1993, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) officially listed the California Gnatcatcher as a threatened species, recognizing the growing threats to its habitat in Southern California.  Despite this designation, no critical habitat has been formally established to protect the California Gnatcatcher. A Species at Risk The California Gnatcatcher is a small songbird that depends on coastal ...

On March 29, 1928, the body of a young boy who had remained unidentified in the makeshift Newhall morgue in the wake of the St. Francis Dam disaster was finally laid to rest. In the hours after the March 12 catastrophic collapse of the St. Francis Dam, the Hap-a-Lan dance hall in Newhall, now the site of the Old Courthouse ...

On this day in Santa Clarita history, March 24, 1922, Josephine Earp, the wife of legendary lawman Wyatt Earp, wrote a passionate letter to silent film star William S. Hart, expressing her gratitude for his efforts in defending Wyatt against false claims published in the Los Angeles Times.  Reminiscing about this Santa Clarita History, the L.A. Times had printed an ...

Today in Santa Clarita History on March 23, 1934 local film history director Robert N. Bradbury helmed another classic Western, shot on location at Trem Carr’s movie ranch in Placerita Canyon the very same land where Disney’s Golden Oak Ranch stands today. Back in the early 1930s, the Santa Clarita Valley was quickly becoming a hotspot for Hollywood’s growing appetite ...

On this day in Santa Clarita history, March 21, 2016, a foster child goes through a lengthy legal battle.  A custody battle between a Santa Clarita foster family and a biological family over a 6-year-old girl wages on. The foster parents, Summer and Rusty Page, raised the foster child known as “Lexi” since she was 2 years old.  Lexi’s early ...

In Santa Clarita history, on March 19, 1875, Tiburcio Vasquez was executed after years of being on the run during a long-term life of crime.   Tiburcio Vasquez was born in Monterey, Alta California, Mexico on April 11, 1835 to Jose Hermenegildo Vasquez and Maria Guadelepe Cantua.  Vasquez grew up in a moderately well-off, middle-class family that owned land, granted to ...

In Santa Clarita history, on March 18, 1919, the Southern Hotel, a landmark in the history of Newhall, met its tragic end in a devastating fire.  Located at the southeast corner of what is now Main and Market streets, the second Southern Hotel had a rich history that traced back to its predecessor, the first Southern Hotel, which was also ...

On March 17, 1927, the Newhall Telephone Exchange marked a significant milestone, expanding to 100 telephones after starting with just one in 1911.  This rapid growth reflected the increasing importance of telecommunication in the Newhall area during the 1900s. The Newhall Telephone Exchange was first established on July 12, 1900. However, it remained a modest operation for over a decade, ...