(Photo Caption: Exactly 30 years ago today, Mike Antonovich was first elected 5th District Supervisor, helping to oversee Los Angeles County, an empire larger than many countries. And no. That’s not OUR Mike. This Mike Antonovich is a famous Canadian hockey player from 40 years ago. Dah big donut-eatin’ goon…)

Dear saddlepals. Doesn’t that sunrise just warm your heart? All full of freshness and promise? This Thursday morning, we’ve got a simply grand trail ride through history ahead.

We’ve got an epically huge train robbery in Saugus to investigate and one of the most tragic traffic accidents to mourn. On the brigher side, there’s more hijinx by our favorite little government agency, good news for Nixon and a flash flood that washed a patrol car a mile downstream. With a cop inside.

We’ve got the worst Hart football defeat in history, barbershop wars and a drunk driver who crashed his car the hard way — with him not being in it.

It’s a glorious day, friends, to be alive, on horseback and time traveling…

WAY, WAY BACK WHEN —

— There was no one in North America nor Santa Clarita of note. In Europe, Africa and the Middle East, conversation was rather monosyllabic. And, there was no hot cocoa.

NOVEMBER 11, 1920 —

— We were primarily a farm town and one of the big issues facing the SCV 90 years back was how to prevent fruit tree sunscald. In case any of you are interested in protecting the fruit trees on your condo porches, try this recipe: mix eight pounds of quick lime, two pounds of sulphur and one-half pound of salt. Add a little water to make a paste, then apply to your fruit trees in the winter for summer protection. I’m not sure if that’s on the roots, the trunk, each individual leaf or under the armpits of the farmer…

— The California Bureau of Mines notified locals that because of excess demand for gasoline (COOL TRIVIA: the old CBM used to oversee gasoline production) caused their product to be, ahem, watered down. They warned that the petroleum by-product “…still smelled real bad,” but wasn’t as potent. Lots of pinging and explosions around here…

NOVEMBER 10, 1929 —

— “Buffalo” Tom Vernon pulled off the second-to-last train derailment robbery in the Wild West. And the last. He tipped over the old Owl train by the present-day Saugus Speedway. For years, Vernon was hailed as a villain for derailing and wrecking the train, then robbing the passengers. We just learned of his motive. It seems that Vernon robbed the train to pay for a woman friend’s — ahem —operation in Los Angeles. Early editions of L.A. papers wrongly wrote that the engineer of the Saugus train died after being scaled by escaping steam. He didn’t. After the robbery, Buffalo Tom Vernon escaped to Wyoming, where he pulled the same stunt, derailing a train and robbing the passengers. It sure wasn’t hard catching up to the former Buffalo Bill Cody Wild West star. In Saugus, he had squatted by the rails as the train past. Seems as he was crouching, a note with his name and address on it fell out of his pants pocket. Then, in Wyoming, he mailed a letter to a prostitute, giving his detailed itinerary and that was how BT was captured.

NOVEMBER 11, 1930 —

— A front page Signal editorial lamented the fairly new craze of singing over the radio. “And work as they will, artists will never be able to make it anything else buy canned music. The personal quality, the something that grips the heart, and moves one to tears or to ecstasy, is lacking when the receiver set sends it out.” I guess old Signal editor A.B. “Dad” Thatcher never heard Placido Domingo or Vince Gil. Next week, remind me to stick a CD in my saddlebag for Dad…

NOVEMBER 11, 1940 —

— It was Los Angeles County No Highway Accidents Week and the SCV did our part by contributing four traffic deaths.

— Mrs. Escolastica Ashby died and was buried in the Camulos Cemetary. She was the valley’s oldest resident at the time, being around 106. She had worked for Ignacio del Valle on the ranch as a younger woman.

— Jim White broke down in tears during his trial for vehicular manslaughter. He sobbed that, “I wish it had been me instead of them.” White’s 16-ton truck had lost its brakes and ran out of control, doing over 100 mph when it struck a station wagon carrying a family of nine. When the wife and mother had awoken in a hospital from the wreck, she learned that she and her 2-year-old were the only survivors. White was acquitted.

— John Ranse returned to his cabin in Live Oak Springs Canyon Road to find someone had ransacked his home, cooked himself a dinner and stole about half of Ranse’s furniture. The burglar’s correspondence: “Dear Loves: Had a swell time eating your grub and all the rest of the stuff. Will come back again when you get more stuff to eat. So-long, Sucker! — (signed) Pole-Cat.”

— Busby Blugger was foreman of one of the bigger Sand Canyon spreads and in appreciation, his boss gave Buz and his wife two tickets to the opera in L.A. The two country bumpkins were rather intimidated by people in tuxedos and formals, plus, to Buz’s lament, the opera was in Italian. He told a friend, “Had I known that, I would have brought a couple of the Morenos from the ranch next door to translate.”

— Jose Magana was atop the Ridge Route and quite tipsy. He pulled over to answer Nature’s Call and while he was outside, noted he had forgot to set his parking brake. He ended chasing his car for about 50 yards before it plunged over the cliff to the bottom a few hundred feet below. Adding insult to injury, the Highway Patrol were soon on the spot and threw him in jail for drunk driving.

NOVEMBER 11, 1950 —

— We had a rather bizarre weather week. It started out hot, in the 90s (just like last week 2010). Then, the mercury dipped below freezing. Then, the Santa Anas kicked in, blowing over stuff. Then, we had a freezing rain. Must have been Global Warming…

— Here’s some alleged cocktail party trivia for you. Best as I can cipher from the old records, the worst defeat in Hart varsity football history occurred on this date a half-century back. The Mighty Indians were trounced, 69-6. Their opponent? ’Tweren’t Nebraska. The Hart alums beat the varsity so bad, one varsity player was sent to the hospital unconscious.

NOVEMBER 11, 1960 —

— There were 3,516 Democrats registered in the SCV and 2,287 Republicans. Yet, Richard M. Nixon carried the valley in the 1960 presidential race.

— Sgt. Harold McClain had been issued a brand spanking new 1960 Dodge prowl car and motored it up Sand Canyon during one of our huge gully womper rain storms. The year before, fire had ravaged Bear and Sand canyons and McClain didn’t expect the flash flood. While watching the waters roar down the creek, the bank slipped away, carrying McClain and his squeaky clean patrol unit a mile down stream. Fortunately, McClain got out with just major psychological trauma, a whole lot of scratches and much silt in his mouth, ears and eyes. The water had washed him out of the car 300 yards past where the patrol car was wedged under a bridge. Rescue units were able to find McClain because of the vehicle’s headlights shining a beacon in the sky. His brand new car? It got pretty much Cuisinarted.

NOVEMBER 11, 1970 —

— The GOP carried the Santa Clarita in the 1970 election. Some actor fellow named Ronald Reagan not only earned the governorship, but carried the valley as well. Reagan more than doubled Democrat Jesse Unruh’s local tally with 9942 to 4541 votes. By the way. An urban myth that has lasted for decades was that Mr. Reagan was up for the role of Rick in the film classic, “Casa Blanca.” Humphrey Bogart was the first and only choice. The future president couldn’t have played in CB if he wanted. RR was a 2nd Lt. in the Army Reserve and Warner Bros. couldn’t take the chance of casting him if he went off to war. Producer Hal Wallis made it no secret that the entire screenplay was being written for Bogey.

— We had barbershop wars here in both the 1950s and 1960s. Starting off the new decade, Ron Hiner drew the ire of his competitors. First, Ron, also a working actor, was criticized for wearing shoulder-length long hair. Next, the rotter cut his prices from $2.25 to $1.75. Supposedly, one of the other barbers in town threw a chair through Hiner’s plate glass window to get him to: A) cut his hair; or B) raise his prices; C) just get the heck out of Dodge; or D) all of the previous. His competitors pointed out that barbers who used to take home $100 a week were now taking home about $70 because of Hiner.

NOVEMBER 11, 1980 —

— Former ABC news anchor-turned county supervisor Baxter Ward was dethroned by a young Republican on this date. Mike Antonovich started his reign as our 5th district representative on this date. Happy 30th, Mike! How you’ve managed to eat all that rubber chicken and acidic coffee at all those breakfastes, luncheons and dinners without finally going berserk and headbutting someone I will never know…

— Our controversial little government agency with the long name — The Northwest Los Angeles County Resource Conservation District — was at it again. They met secretly at their new director’s home in Chatsworth to plan transferring $100,000 to another bank account to prevent the county from taking their money. A state court had disbanded the agency after years of misdeeds illegal and comic. One of the latest was using board money to heavily tip a manicurist.

— Lastly, some skinny Signal Sports Editor with thick curly hair and 30-inch verticle leap named Walt Cieplik nabbed his 12th and 13th major journalism awards on this date. They were for a special 4th of July section and as best sports columnist. Heard the guy has well over a hunerd  by now…

I sure hate to nag (Nag? Horseback? Get it?) but just wanted to remind you — the holidays are right around the corner and you just might want to get a small head start on it. Shop local, of course. Shop often. See you dear friends in a week and until then, vayan con Dios, amigos!