Native Americans, mainly Tataviam, and Spanish explorers once lived, worked and enoyed the beautiful rolling hills and streams in and around Castaic. According to the late Santa Clarita historian, Jerry Reynolds, the name “Castaic” has been spelled various ways throughout the years, but the area was originally called “Kashtuk”, an Indian word meaning “eyes”, hundreds of years before the area became the community that we know today. Many local historians consider the official birth of Castaic to be around July of 1915, when the California Highway Commission completed the trail we know as the old Ridge Route. This trail, from the tops of Castaic to Gorman, was known as an “engineering masterpiece” as Reynolds stated. Only costing $500,000 at the time, it reduced the road between Los Angeles and Bakersfield by 60 miles. Highway 99 later replaced this route in October of 1933.
Castaic’s first Post Office was opened in September of 1894 at the Junction, but due to lack of interest it closed just 11 months after. In 1914, Sam Parsons purchased an acre of land and opened up “Sam’s Place” and re-established the Post Office in 1917.
The demand for the establishment of a local school district became evident as the Castaic community grew. In March of 1889, Castaic School was open, and the original school building continued until its demolition in 1996. Currently there are four schools that operate in the district; Live Oak Elementary, Castaic Elementary, Northlake Elementary and Castaic Middle School.
Recreational opportunities abound as Castaic Lake offers boating, camping, group picnicking, fishing and more. Castaic Lake consists of two separate lakes, with the main Reservoir with 34 miles of shoreline open to sailing, fishing and slow boating. The Afterbay, or Lagoon, is on the south side of the dam and is surrounded by beautiful sandy beaches, parks and designated swimming areas.
Castaic Lake is host to many fishing tournaments, Hobie regattas, mountain bike races, triathlons, jet-ski races, motocross races and more. Castaic is also home to the second and third largest largemouth bass caught on record—weighing at 22.1 and 21.12 pounds each.
With Castaic’s convenient location, beautiful weather and diverse outdoor recreational opportunities, one thing is for sure — Castaic continues to grow and attract many new families and businesses!