On Feb. 16, 2000, Rancho Camulos, a historic 19th-century adobe ranch located along Highway 126, was officially designated a National Historic Landmark, recognizing its significance in California’s ranching and literary history. Originally part of the Rancho San Francisco land grant, Rancho Camulos was established in 1853 by Ygnacio del Valle and became a thriving agricultural operation known for its citrus ...

On Feb. 13, 1999, the Santa Clarita and Antelope Valleys officially split from the 805 area code to form 661, marking a new chapter in the region’s growth and development.  Before smartphones and phone numbers, the Santa Clarita Valley had a different way of staying connected.  Long before the days of instant messaging and unlimited calling plans, SCV residents relied ...

On this day, Feb. 12, 1879, Mint Canyon School District was founded, which decades later was merged into the Sulphur Springs Union School District. The original Mint Canyon School of the aforementioned district burnt down in 1947, leading to students attending the nearby Sulphur Springs School while Mint Canyon was rebuilt.  The modern-day Sulphur Springs Union School District was formed ...

On this day in 1988, the historic Bonelli House, once a hallmark of early Santa Clarita Valley history, was reduced to rubble. The 5,600-square-foot adobe ranch house, located on the grounds of Saugus Speedway, was demolished on Feb. 6, 1988by the heirs of William Bonelli, founder of the Speedway. The timing of its destruction, a mere seven weeks after the ...

On what would be his 203rd birthday, we take a look back at the life of surveyor Edward F. Beale, who owned the land through the Newhall Pass where the Beale’s Cut Stagecoach Pass sat, providing a route between the San Gabriel and the Santa Susana Mountains. Edward Fitzgerald Beale, born on Feb. 4, 1822, in the nation’s capital, led ...

On this day in 1943, the skies over the Santa Clarita Valley became the scene of a dramatic and tragic mid-air accident when an Army Air Force C-53 Sky trooper transport plane, towing a Waco CG-4A glider, broke apart over the rugged terrain between Piru and Castaic.  While three airmen lost their lives in the crash, the extraordinary bravery of ...

The Bonelli family, owners of the Saugus Speedway, are refuting an online rumor that the iconic swap meet venue would be shutting down at the end of March. An online rumor began circulating social media at the end of January that the Saugus Speedway would be shutting down at the end of March. The rumor has been shared over a ...

The Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society announces the return of St. Francis Dam tours to commemorate the 95th anniversary of the second-worst disaster in California history. After a three-year hiatus, the group is set to return its “renowned” St. Francis Dam lecture and a bus and hike tour at the original dam site in San Francisquito Canyon on Saturday, March ...

Jan. 4 marks the 113th anniversary of the shooting death of deputy Charles De Moranville, who was killed in the line of duty in Newhall in 1909.  The events that led up to Deputy De Moranville’s death began at 8 p.m. Jan. 4, when John “Arizona Jack” Allen, a cowboy and miner from the Imperial Valley, was having a drink ...

The Santa Clarita City Council will vote on an item at Tuesday’s meeting to take over the website and historical archive of the Santa Clarita Valley’s, SCVHistory.com. The website was created by Leon Worden as a labor of love in 1996. Over the years the site has grown to tens of thousands of pages, pictures, videos and interviews. It’s a ...