Santa Clarita Valley

by John Boston, Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society

Overview

A trade crossroads dating back to Native American times, Santa Clarita may be relatively new in the story of Los Angeles County's suburban sprawl, but old-timers also recall it as the "Navel of the Universe." A Chinese general once declared the Santa Clarita Valley one of the top 10 military targets on Earth. Located east of the Ventura County line where the valley creates a break in the Angeles National Forest, Santa Clarita has been home to cowboys, movie stars, farmers, and pistol fighters. With a diverse population of 250,000 today, the Santa Clarita Valley still boasts an eclectic heritage. The West's first major oil refinery is located here. The ground was bloodied by at least 21 deaths in one of America's last and greatest range wars. And local lore has maintained that the world's largest grizzly bear, weighing more than a ton, was shot here.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781439638095
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	04/13/2009
Series:	Images of America Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	128
File size:	45 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Author John Boston's 100-plus writing awards include the 2006 Will Rogers Humanitarian Achievement Award. A former ranch hand, television news director, talent manager, editor, and columnist, Boston has lived in the Santa Clarita Valley for half a century, today on Scared o' Bears Ranch with Walt, his father, and Indiana, his daughter. The Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society provided this book's evocative images.

Editorial Reviews

Title: Riding the history train

Author: Sarah Vance

Publisher: LA Books Examiner

Date: 6/22/09



Saturday afternoon I slipped across the street to the Barnes & Noble for a chai tea latte. (As luck would have it, I live across the street from the public library and a bookstore.) I was happily surprised to come across a book signing in progress.



Local historian John Boston was signing copies of his book, Santa Clarita Valley. The paperback is filled with historical photographs of the area. The text below each photograph tells a story and describes the scene in terms that the modern reader can understand and locate. Since becoming a Junior Historian in fifth grade at the Dearborn Historical Museum, I have been fascinated with history. Yes, I have some interest in global historical events, but historical stuff on a smaller scale is what really fascinates me. I find it so intriguing to find out that a railroad used to run through the property where my apartment complex is now built. I love to be able to find familiar rock formations and mountain peaks in the old photographs and learn more about the people who used to live near them 200 years ago. International history is great, but I can really sink my teeth into local history.



On Sunday we were off to Ojai for Father's Day festivities, where I found two more similar books of local history called Ojai and Ventura. The books were both filled with photographs and text that put local stories into context. The photograph above shows the hanging of the bell in the First Presbyterian Church in 1889.



After a small amount of research, I discovered that the books are part of the Images of America series published by Arcadia. The series was established in 1993 to preserve and share the histories of local communities throughout the country. Each title records an area's unique history through images. The books have won awards and you can find out if someone has published a book about your local area here.

From the Publisher