Check Out A Little History At The Canyon Country Library

Among the stacks of books and magazines, at the end of a line of computers at the Canyon Country JoAnne Darcy Library, there’s a history lesson in pictures featuring “then and now” shots from the east side of the city.
Curated by the SCV Historical Society, the archival photos are accompanied by shots of the same spot today, to give library patrons an idea of what came before. Stop by the library to see the whole collection before it closes at the end of August. Sites featured in the collection cover areas of transportation, the western life, commerce, flight and mining.
A 1936 view of Lang Station, off Soledad Canyon Road just east of Shadow Pines, where a gold spike was driven in 1876 to join the rails and complete the Transcontinental Railway. The station pictured is the fourth station at the site, which was declared a California Historical Landmark in 1957. Despite its designation, the building was torn down as soon as it closed in 1968.
In the 1920s, Sam J. Garrett was a trick roper on the rodeo circuit and became a champion at Pendleton, Oregon. He took up acting and stunt work and around 1940, he and wife Ruby established Circle G Ranch in Sand Canyon. Sold in 1963, it’s better known today as Robinson Ranch.
The corner of Soledad and Sierra Highway – called Solemint Junction for years – has always been a commercial center of sorts. Alfred Lewis Clark established the Solemint Store in 1938, carrying a wide variety of items and becoming quite the tourist attraction. It closed in the mid-1960s after Dillenbeck’s Market opened on the opposite corner and apartments were built.
Canyon Country had its own airport back in 1946 when Helm and Earl Schmidt opened an airfield on the 1,800-acre 6-S Ranch. The airfield was between Camp Plenty Road and Crossglade Avenue, and took up part of the playing fields at the current Sierra Vista Junior High and Canyon Springs Community Schools. Sold in 1960, the property became the Santa Clarita Valley’s second housing tract, North Oaks.
Located in Tick Canyon at Davenport Road between Sierra Highway and Agua Dulce, the Sterling Borax Mine was active from 1908 to 1921. In 1905, two gold prospectors bound a rich deposit of borax in Tick Canyon that produced 18,000-20,000 tons of borax per year. The mine closed in 1921. Today, only small remnants of the buildings are left.
To learn more about our local history, visit www.scvhistory.com.

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