header image

[Sign Up Now] to Receive Our FREE Daily SCVTV-SCVNews Digest by E-Mail

Inside
Weather


 
Calendar
Today in
S.C.V. History
July 9
1939 - Death of Harald Sandberg; built Sandberg's Summit Hotel on the Ridge Route [story]
Sandberg's Summit Hotel


Now and Then in the SCV | Commentary by Darryl Manzer
| Sunday, Mar 2, 2014

darrylmanzer021014Rain. Lots of rain with a little bit of lightning and thunder. We also had rocks and mud dropping or flowing on our roads and hillsides. Even our river had water in it. Glorious rain.

The smell of just-washed sagebrush is something that lets me know I’m in my hometown. Sometimes it doesn’t get better than what we just had the past three days.

Friday night I was in the little town of Acton at the northeast end of the SCV. Crown Valley Road had become a river. I was in my Jeep and made it through. By the way, it might be about the closest thing to a car wash my Jeep has had in the last six months. Jeeps just look better with a little dirt and mud as decoration.

For many years I’ve stated that I knew of no deaths occurring in Mentryville or Pico Canyon during the oil boom years. This week I found out I’ve been wrong. It seems an oil worker – they were called miners back then – died on the job, and later, the father of Alec Mentry died in the canyon after walking to Newhall. His body wasn’t found for 12 years. So maybe the ghost stories could have some basis after all. Naw … if so, we’ve got to call Ghostbusters.

For those of you who want to have a tour of the old place called Mentryville, the Santa Clarita Community Hiking Club has asked me to lead one May 3. It will start at 8 a.m. (or 0800 for us former military types) at the parking lot across the creek from Felton School. More on this as it nears.

Mentryville in Pico Canyon, 1885-1891 | Click to view

Mentryville in Pico Canyon, 1885-1891 | Click to view

I also see an old argument about the color of the buildings in Pico Canyon-Mentryville has resurfaced. First let me state, once again: the barn, schoolhouse and chicken house were not painted red until the 1970s. They were gray or, in the idiom of the day, “buff.” Recently an old picture showed the schoolhouse to be a dark color. It wasn’t red. A black-and-white photograph won’t show the color.

But many photographs show dark-sided buildings and homes. Just what was the color? Well, paint was expensive. It also was difficult to transport. Since most of the structures in Mentryville were built of redwood, there was no reason to paint them. Also, many folks knew those same houses would be moved to another oil field, so the places weren’t painted at all. The redwood darkened quickly, and thus the color in the pictures is just … dark.

An example of a dark-sided and unpainted building was the Wolcott barn that was lost in the 1962 fire. It was unpainted redwood. It looked dark brown.

The old foreman’s shack on CSO Hill above the CSO No. 4 oil well was also bare wood. Dark brown redwood.

An important building such as Mr. Mentry’s home or “cottage” was painted, and that can be seen in the photographs. Later, when the current 13-room cottage was built, it was painted the “buff” gray just like that found on ships of the Navy in later years. As a side note, battleships of the U.S. Navy were painted white until 1907.

History is strangely dynamic. I remember when I first found that out. It isn’t just a collection of dates about people, places and things. History is all about people and how they acted and felt and loved and hated. It is a record of cultures past and present.

So when I find out something new or different about a subject I thought I had a vast knowledge of, I’m humbled by a new piece of information that has a significant impact on my former beliefs.

Click to read

Click to read more

Like finding out that Alec Mentry probably died of typhoid fever and not a “kissing bug.”

… or learning the Alec Mentry’s father died while returning from Newhall to Pico Canyon – AND that it was 12 years before the body was found.

… and that another worker died on the job in the oil field.

Heck, I’ve just learned the early oil workers were called miners. I was a miner once. From 1962 to 1965. Right after that, I became an Indian and then a Matador, followed by being a sailor.

Now I’m just retired, with more time to learn more about what I should have known years ago.

Well, maybe I did know a lot of this history. It just wasn’t as important then. Not when there was Jane, Cheryl, Kathie, Diane…

You get the idea.

But I never heard about ghosts and deaths and the like. Guess I just didn’t pay attention to the rattling chains and odd noises. I thought that was normal.

 

Darryl Manzer grew up in the Pico Canyon oil town of Mentryville in the 1960s and attended Hart High School. After a career in the U.S. Navy he returned to live in the Santa Clarita Valley. He can be reached at dmanzer@scvhistory.com and his commentaries, published on Tuesdays and Sundays, are archived at DManzer.com. Watch his walking tour of Mentryville [here].

 

Comment On This Story
COMMENT POLICY: We welcome comments from individuals and businesses. All comments are moderated. Comments are subject to rejection if they are vulgar, combative, or in poor taste.
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.

2 Comments

  1. Looks like I’m going to be doing some ghost hunting! Lol

  2. Looks like I’m going to be doing some ghost hunting! Lol

Leave a Comment


Opinion Section Policy
All opinions and ideas are welcome. Factually inaccurate, libelous, defamatory, profane or hateful statements are not. Your words must be your own. All commentary is subject to editing for legibility. There is no length limit, but the shorter, the better the odds of people reading it. "Local" SCV-related topics are preferred. Send commentary to: LETTERS (at) SCVNEWS.COM. Author's full name, community name, phone number and e-mail address are required. Phone numbers and e-mail addresses are not published except at author's request. Acknowledgment of submission does not guarantee publication.
Read More From...
RECENT COMMENTARY
Monday, Jul 7, 2025
Each summer, families, friends and neighbors from across Santa Clarita eagerly await the return of a cherished tradition, an evening under the stars filled with live music, laughter and community spirit.
Thursday, Jul 3, 2025
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger has issued a statement reflecting on the upcoming six-month anniversary of the Eaton Fire, which devastated large portions of Altadena and destroyed nearly 7,000 residential and commercial units.
Thursday, Jul 3, 2025
As we prepare for the city’s Fourth of July Parade, we are reminded of the values that bind us together as a community and as a nation: service, freedom and unity.
Wednesday, Jul 2, 2025
The Fourth of July is a special time for our great nation and our City. Residents look forward to this holiday every year and the many accompanying celebrations.
Tuesday, Jul 1, 2025
There are many things that make our city of Santa Clarita so special. One of those is the calendar full of amazing events.
Monday, Jun 30, 2025
At our meeting earlier this month, your City Council adopted another on-time and balanced budget for Fiscal Year 2025-26 totaling $344.6 million.

Latest Additions to SCVNews.com
As temperatures in Southern California reach triple digits this week, Rep. George Whitesides is helping to lead a series of bills aimed at addressing the growing threat of extreme heat.
Rep. Whitesides Rolls Out Legislative Package to Combat Excessive Heat During California Heat Wave
1939 - Death of Harald Sandberg; built Sandberg's Summit Hotel on the Ridge Route [story]
Sandberg's Summit Hotel
Santa Clarita Shakespeare will host a memorial service for Brent Christensen, one of the founding members of the acting company and long-time member of the Santa Clarita theater community.
July 13: Santa Clarita Shakespeare Hosts Memorial Service for Brent Christensen
The Master's University men's soccer team has released its 17-game schedule, which also includes three additional scrimmages against NCAA Division I, II and III teams.
2025 TMU Men’s Soccer Schedule Released
The city of Santa Clarita will host a community fire safety meeting in partnership with the Los Angeles County Fire Department and Terra-gen, operator of a battery energy storage facility near Soledad Canyon Road and Sierra Highway.
July 10: Canyon County Energy Storage Fire Safety Community Meeting
As Chair of the Assembly Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs, Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo, D-Chatsworth has announced a series of major legislative victories for veterans and military families.
Schiavo Announces Legislative Wins for California Veterans
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department encourages new residents to the Santa Clarita Valley and those who may not have already registered to complete registration with Alert LA for timely emergency updates and information.
SCV Residents Urged to Sign Up for Alert LA Emergency Notificatons
No tickets were sold matching all six numbers in the Monday July 7 Powerball drawing. However, one ticket which matched five numbers, was sold in Santa Clarita, at the Seafood City Supermarket, 26579 Bouquet Canyon Road, Saugus, CA 91350. It is worth $555,503.
Big Money Powerball Ticket, Worth $555,503, Sold at Seafood City in Saugus
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has approved the appointment of Sarah Mahin as the first director of the new Department of Homeless Services and Housing, the county’s consolidated department focused on homelessness solutions.
Board of Supervisors Appoints First Director of Homeless Services and Housing
The Castaic Union School District Governing Board will hold its regular meeting Thursday, July 10 at 6 p.m. The board will first meet in closed session at 5 p.m.
July 10: CUSD Board of Trustees Regular Meeting
The Small Business Development Center hosted by College of the Canyons is presenting three free webinar workshops on July 10, hosted by PCR Business Finance.
July 10: Small Business Week Workshops
1997 - Santa Clarita City Council adopts initial Newhall Redevelopment Plan [story]
El Trocadero restaurant
Deputies from the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station will be at Dick’s Sporting Goods 2-4 p.m. Thursday, July 10 for Coffee with a Cop.
July 10: Coffee with a Cop at Dicks Sporting Goods
Santa Clarita Valley BandsCast will host a sneak preview of the SCV BandsCast Pirate Stage 6 p.m. Sunday, July 13 at Eighth & Rail.
July 13: SCV BandsCast Sneak Preview Pirate Stage
ARTree has announced it has three volunteer positions available for its board.
Board Positions Available at ARTree
The city of Santa Clarita and Green Santa Clarita want you to be aware of Plastic Free July, a global movement that encourages millions of people to be part of the solution to plastic pollution.
Plastic Free July Challenge in Santa Clarita
California State University, Northridge, and Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation will present "Splash in the Water" at Castaic Lake, a free boating and water safety event for children ages 7-14. The program runs on Fridays beginning Friday, July 11 through Aug. 15.
July 11: ‘Splash in the Water’ at Castaic Lake Begins
For Fiscal Year 2025-26, the Measure E Low-Income Senior Exemption Form, along with any necessary attachments, must be submitted via U.S. mail and postmarked by Monday, July 14.
July 14: Deadline for Measure E Tax Exemption Form
Each summer, families, friends and neighbors from across Santa Clarita eagerly await the return of a cherished tradition, an evening under the stars filled with live music, laughter and community spirit.
Ken Striplin | A Community-Favorite Tradition Returns to Central Park
The city of Santa Clarita Film Office has released the list of five productions filming in the Santa Clarita Valley for the week of Monday, July 7 to Saturday, July 12.
July 7-12: Five Productions Filming in SCV
1949 - Incorporation of Castaic Saddle Club; holds rodeos near future Castaic Lake (lower lagoon) [story]
1850 - Town founder Henry Mayo Newhall arrives in California to look for gold [story]
Henry Newhall
Gunsmoke BBQ & Beer in Santa Paula has announced its summer event series, “Backyard Smoke & Sound” will kick off on Saturday, July 26.
July 26: Gunsmoke BBQ & Beer Will Host ‘Backyard Smoke & Sound’ Series
Experience and explore the outdoors with overnight camping, offering an unforgettable adventure in some of Los Angeles County’s most beautiful parks, including Castaic Lake.
Summer Camping Fun at L.A. County Parks
SCVNews.com