Mentryville, Calif. (Aug. 16, 2014) – I was giving a tour of Pico Cottage yesterday, and one of the tourists came up with a kind of solution to the restoration of Mentryville. Here it is in a short form: Rebuild the whole town.

Since many of you think I’ve gone totally crazy anyway, here is the idea. Mentryville is located west of Interstate 5 on Pico Canyon Road. Drive out there sometime and see the old place. For those of you who have seen it, think of what it would look like if every current building were restored and some of the old homes reconstructed.

Here is how to do it.

Thanks to some excellent investigations and research by our local history nuts, we have a map of the canyon during the oil boom years. We also have many pictures. We should be able to locate and map out the home sites that would be leased.

There would have to be additional public water system pipes installed, but the necessary electrical power is available all the way to the wells. (The area near the wells was called “The Works” back in the early days.) The natural gas supply is not available as it once was, so a commercial natural gas line might also have to be installed. Individual septic systems for each house would be the norm, as it was years ago.

Darryl on Friday in front of the 13-room Pico Cottage, where he lived from 1960 to 1966. New photos by Lauren Parker.

Looking at the old pictures, one can see that houses crowded the area south of the creek and across from the school. There appears to be a house between the “Cottage” or “Big House,” too.

The community center should be built again, and maybe the bakery. As more houses are built, more project money would be available to restore the buildings we see now.

Like the restored towns of Yorktown and Williamsburg, Va., Mentryville would also have places to see tools being made (in the rebuilt machine shop), the fire house, maybe a special night in the bunkhouse for groups, too.

Of course, a priority is the restoration of the 13-room Pico Cottage, the buildings near the barn and the school. Imagine the school being available for the wedding of two teachers? The reception could be in the cottage or the rebuilt community hall.

Companies and city, county and state agencies could hold training and planning meetings in the house or any of the public buildings except on weekends and holidays.

Scouts and church groups could use Johnson Park or the picnic grounds. The possibilities are nearly endless.

From old photos and maps, we know where the homes were 100 years ago.

Filming could continue as it does now – but the proceeds from any film project in Pico would stay to develop Pico and Mentryville.

I’ve not figured out how to have a place to park vehicles of the individual homeowners (or lessees) in Mentryville. Maybe some of the homes will be enlarged enough to have a garage. Any ideas out there?

As in Williamsburg and Yorktown, the residents would have restrictions on when motor vehicles could be on the streets – unless it is a Model T Ford or such.

There would also be a place for horses and tack, corrals and a milk cow or two. Maybe a few chickens scattered around.

So who will be the first to want to lease a lot in Mentryville? Who wants to restore a part of the history of the SCV?

Maybe I am crazy. But I like this idea more and more.

Let’s see how people are thinking about this – OK?

Mentryville rises again!

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 are archived at DManzer.com. Watch his walking tour of Mentryville [here].

Teachers could get married in the old Felton School. That’s Evan Decker with the broom.

Where some of the homes used to be.