Historic Beale’s Cut, one of the most significant landmarks in the Santa Clarita Valley, is poised to be purchased by the city of Santa Clarita.

Beale’s Cut, located adjacent to Sierra Highway in Newhall, has landmark status as a California Historical Landmark. It was designated as Landmark No. 1006 on May 11, 1992.

The Santa Clarita City Council agenda for the Tuesday, Oct. 28 regular meeting includes an item for the council to approve the purchase of approximately 670 +/- acres of open space land located in and around the city.

According to the city staff report on the agenda item “the acquisitions include the LaBelle, Vartanian, Chaleff and English and Forum Engineering properties. Collectively, these purchases advance the city’s ongoing efforts to expand and preserve open space, maintain greenbelt buffers around the City, and provide access to existing trail systems and conservation areas.

The item to obtain the property that houses Beale’s Cut reads:

“Approve the purchase of 13 +/- acres of real property and an easement in the city of Santa Clarita, Forum Engineering Property, portions of Assessor’s Parcel Numbers 2827-032-001 and 2827-032-002, at a total cost of $2,656,383, which includes property purchase price, escrow, title, due diligence costs and maintenance fees.”

The city staff assessment of the purchase reads:

“The Forum Engineering Property consists of approximately 13 acres located within the city limits near the Needham Ranch open space area. The property includes the California historical landmark, Beale’s Cut. Acquisition of this site will protect a critical hillside area and preserve access to Beale’s Cut.”

Dr. Alan Pollack, president of the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society, said the creation of Beale’s Cut was a significant development in California history.

“Before Beale’s Cut was carved out in 1863, travelers faced brutal, treacherous paths over the San Fernando (later known as Newhall) Pass taking days to cross between the San Fernando and Santa Clarita Valleys, often on foot or with slow, cumbersome wagons. The cut created a stable, relatively smooth route, slashing travel time to just hours. This made goods, mail and people move faster, boosting trade and connectivity between Southern and Northern California, transforming the region’s economic and social landscape.”

Pollack said the city action is a welcome action to preserve Beale’s Cut.

“Beale’s Cut is truly one of the most significant historical sites in the Santa Clarita Valley. The SCV Historical Society strongly backs the measure before our city council to enable the city to acquire Beale’s Cut, thus preserving this vital gateway for all to see far into the future.”

Beale’s Cut is a historic hand-carved pass named after General Edward F. Beale who significantly deepened the existing pass in the 1860s to create a crucial transportation link between the Santa Clarita and San Fernando valleys.

The pass was first created in the 1850s and later expanded by Beale to a depth of approximately 90 feet, making it a vital route for stagecoaches and early automobiles.

The pass was first dug out in the 1850s by William T.B. Sanford and George Carson. The duo cut a 30-foot-deep road through the mountains.
General Phineas Banning drove the first stage through the pass in 1854.
Troops under the command of Beale, a veteran of the Mexican-American War, deepened the pass in 1863.

Beale was granted the right to collect tolls for the pass and significantly deepened the cut over nearly two years. He renamed it Beale’s Cut.
In 1910 the roadway was replaced by the nearby Newhall Tunnel, which gave way to modern-day Sierra Highway in 1938.

Beale’s Cut has been used as a backdrop for numerous films, especially silent movies, for which it was a popular location.

Perhaps Hollywood’s most well-known use of Beale’s Cut lives on in a famous still photo of silent Western star Tom Mix, and his horse Tony, supposedly jumping over Beale’s Cut.

The jump sequence appears in the 1923 silent film, “Three Jumps Ahead.”

Local lore says the jump was actually made for the film by Mix’s stunt double and his stunt double horse.

Earl Simpson, a horse trainer and stunt man with a ranch in Searchlight, Nev., claims to have made the jump.

Although the footage of the jump survives in a promotional trailer made by Mix in the 1930s, the film itself is lost, as are many of the old Tom Mix movies that were filmed in and around Newhall in the early part of the 1900s.

Beale’s Cut also appears in the 1939 John Ford classic, “Stagecoach” which starred John Wayne and Claire Trevor.

Ford used exactly the same shot of Beale’s Cut 22 years earlier with the same camera angle in his 1917 film, “Straight Shooting” and again in 1924 in “The Iron Horse,” which also used the same film clip.

Beale’s Cut has been documented to appear in nearly 40 films, and most likely appeared in a much larger number of films that have since been lost. Other notable films include two silent films made in the 1920s by Buster Keaton: “The Paleface” and “Seven Chances.”

“The Devil Horse” (1932), was a serial film, starring Harry Carey, and included scenes filmed at Beale’s Cut.

“The Fighting Devil Dogs” (1938) and “Adventures of Red Ryder” (1940) were Republic serials with scenes of Beale’s Cut and directed by William Witney and John English.

For more information on the history of Beale’s Cut in film visit https://scvhistory.com and search “Beale’s Cut movies.”

Heavy rains, including a major El Niño event in 1997-98, have filled much of the cut with mud and debris.

The entire city council agenda item found in the consent calendar under “Utilization of State Grant Funding for the Preservation of 670+- Acres” reads as follows:

“RECOMMENDED ACTION

City Council:

1. Approve the purchase of 180 +/- acres of real property northwest of the City of Santa Clarita, LaBelle Property, Assessor’s Parcel Numbers 2865-004-007, 2865-004-018, 2865-004-022, and 3244-023-011, at a total cost of $1,391,822, which includes property purchase price, escrow, title, due diligence costs, and payment of annual property taxes.
2.
3. Approve the purchase of 145 +/- acres of real property northeast of the City of Santa Clarita, Vartanian Property, Assessor’s Parcel Numbers 2813-019-011, 2813-019-012, 2813-019- 013, and 2813-020-014, at a total cost of $1,047,722 which includes property purchase price, escrow, title, due diligence costs, and payment of annual property taxes.

4. Approve the purchase of 49 +/- acres of real property northeast of the City of Santa Clarita, Chaleff & English Property, Assessor’s Parcel Numbers 2813-016-010, 2813-017-001, and 2813-017-004, at a total cost of $264,422, which includes property purchase price, escrow, title, due diligence costs, and payment of annual property taxes.

4. Approve the purchase of 13 +/- acres of real property and an easement in the City of Santa Clarita, Forum Engineering Property, portions of Assessor’s Parcel Numbers 2827-032-001 and 2827-032-002, at a total cost of $2,656,383, which includes property purchase price, escrow, title, due diligence costs, and maintenance fees.

5. Appropriate one-time funds in the amount of $5,267,849 from the Miscellaneous Grants Fund (Fund 259) to Acquisition Expenditure Account 2597503-520104 for the real property purchase price, escrow, title, and due diligence costs; and appropriate one-time funds in the amount of $92,500 from the Open Space Preservation District Fund (Fund 358) to Open
Space Expenditure Accounts 3587501-518503 ($52,500) and 3587501 511101 ($40,000) for property taxes and maintenance fees.

6. Appropriate ongoing funds in the amount of $67,500 from Open Space Preservation District Fund (Fund 358) to Open Space Expenditure Accounts 3587501-518503 ($52,500) and 3587501-511101 ($15,000) for annual property taxes and ongoing maintenance beginning in Fiscal Year 2026-2027, contingent upon Council approval of the annual budget for such fiscal years.

7. Increase transfers out from Miscellaneous Grants Fund (Fund 259) account 2599500-710358 and increase transfers in to Open Space Preservation District Fund (Fund 358) account 358- 600259 in the amount of $1,246,525 to reimburse the Open Space Preservation District for its
acquisition of the Regan property (41 +/- acres) that occurred August 2024 and the Ayres property (242 +/- acres) that occurred January 2025.

8. Increase Miscellaneous Grant Revenue Account 259-462101 in the amount of $6,514,374 for the California Department of Parks and Recreation Grant.

9. Find these acquisitions exempt from review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Article 19, Section 15313 (Class 13); Section 15317 (Class 17); and Section 15325 (Class 25).

10. Authorize the City Manager or designee, to execute all documents, subject to City Attorney approval.

BACKGROUND

In 2022, the California Department of Parks and Recreation awarded the City of Santa Clarita (City) $7,000,000 through the 2022-23 Open Space Acquisition Grant Program to support the purchase of open space lands for preservation and recreation purposes.

These state grant funds were established to assist local agencies in protecting natural landscapes, expanding recreational access, and maintaining the long-term environmental quality of California’s open space
resources.

The subject properties consist of approximately 670 +/- acres of open space land located in and around the City. The acquisitions include the LaBelle, Vartanian, Chaleff and English, and Forum Engineering properties. Collectively, these purchases advance the City’s ongoing efforts to expand and preserve open space, maintain greenbelt buffers around the City, and provide access to existing trail systems and conservation areas. Staff presented the potential property acquisitions to City Council during the closed session at the October 14, 2025, Special meeting.

City Council was supportive of continued negotiations with the property owners.

The LaBelle Property consists of approximately 180 acres located northwest of the City in the Castaic area along Charlie Canyon Road. The site lies outside City limits, adjacent to the Angeles National Forest and near the Tesoro Highlands open space dedication area. Acquisition of this property will further fortify the northern greenbelt buffer of the Santa Clarita Valley.

The Vartanian Property consists of approximately 145 acres located northeast of the City along Davenport Road and Sierra Highway. The property is situated outside City limits and adjacent to the Angeles National Forest.

Acquisition of this property will strengthen the City’s open space preservation area in the eastern greenbelt and provide protection of sensitive habitat areas.

The Chaleff & English Property consists of approximately 49 acres located northeast of the City along Burton Road and Vasquez Canyon Road. The property adjoins existing Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and the Angeles National Forest open space.

Acquisition of this site will expand the City’s eastern greenbelt and provide additional buffer from future development in the area.
The Forum Engineering Property consists of approximately 13 acres located within the City limits near the Needham Ranch open space area. The property includes the California historical landmark, Beale’s Cut.

Acquisition of this site will protect a critical hillside area and preserve
access to Beale’s Cut.

The Regan Property (+/- 41 acres) purchased in August 2024 and the Ayres Property (+/- 242acres) purchased in January 2025 are eligible for the use of the grant funds. The properties were purchased with the use of Open Space Preservation District Funds, and the acquisition costs of
$1,246,525 can be offset by the available grant funding, returning those funds to the Open Space Preservation District Fund.

The Regan and Ayres properties were not originally funded through the grant due to other land negotiations that would have expended the grant funding. That negotiation was not successful, allowing for the Regan and Ayres property acquisitions to be grant funded.

To support these acquisitions, staff recommends appropriating one-time funds in the amount of $5,267,849 from the California Department of Parks and Recreation Open Space Acquisition Grant Program to cover property purchases and associated costs.

In addition, a one-time appropriation of $92,500 and an ongoing annual appropriation of $67,500 are recommended from the Open Space Preservation District Fund (Fund 358) to cover property taxes and
maintenance costs.

These acquisitions, totaling nearly 670 acres, align with the goals of the City’s Open Space Preservation District to preserve natural lands, enhance recreational opportunities, and protect wildlife corridors surrounding the Santa Clarita Valley.

Together, these properties will strengthen the northern and eastern greenbelts that define the City’s open space boundaries.

The project is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act under Article 19, Section 15313 (Class 13); Section 15317 (Class 17); and Section 15325 (Class 25). A Class 13 exemption consists of the acquisition of lands for fish and wildlife conservation purposes. A Class 17 exemption consists of the acceptance of easements or fee interests in order to maintain the open space character of the area. A Class 25 exemption consists of transferring ownership of interests in land to preserve open space, habitat, or historical resources.

ALTERNATIVE ACTION

Other action as determined by City Council.

FISCAL IMPACT

Upon City Council approval of the recommended actions, Miscellaneous Grant Revenues (259-462101) will be increased by $6,514,374 for the California Department of Parks and Recreation Grant. These grant funds will provide for the acquisition of the four properties and their associated real property purchase price, escrow, title, and due diligence costs totaling
$5,267,849. To maximize the utilization of grant funds prior to their expiration on December 31, 2025, $1,246,525 grant funds will also reimburse the Open Space Preservation District (Fund 358) for its acquisition of the Regan ($180,117) and Ayres ($1,066,408) properties that occurred August 2024 and January 2025.

One-time funds in the amount $92,500 will be available for current year property taxes and maintenance in the Open Space Preservation District Fund (Fund 358) Expenditure Accounts 3587501-518503 ($52,500) and 3587501-511101 ($40,000); ongoing funds in the amount of $67,500 will be available for property taxes ($52,500) and maintenance ($15,000) beginning in Fiscal Year 2026-2027, contingent upon Council approval of the annual budget for such fiscal years.

The full agenda for the Tuesday, Oct. 28 city council regular meeting can be found at https://santaclaritacityca.iqm2.com//Citizens/detail_meeting.aspx?ID=3049.

One of the most enduring photos of Beale’s Cut is this image of a horse and rider, mostl likely a stunt double for Tom Mix and his horse, that appeared in the film “Three Jumps Ahead” (1923). Photo SCV History in Pictures. Visit https://scvhistory.com/scvhistory/lw2159a.htm.