The Heritage Junction Dispatch a Publication of the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society
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The Heritage Junction Dispatch A Publication of the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society Volume 41, Issue 6 November - December 2015 Calendar President’s Message by Alan Pollack Saturday, November 7 Talk on Fillmore’s Legendary as the story cattle. Needing some rest on a hot day, Locals 2:00 PM Old Town Newall Library Wof the Oak of Lopez fell asleep under an old oak tree and the Golden Dream dreamed of finding gold. Upon awakening, Monday, November 23 fact or legend? he decided to make some lunch. Under a Board of Directors Meeting 6:30 PM Saugus Station In this three-part nearby sycamore tree was a patch of wild series of articles we onions. Upon digging up some of the onions, Tuesday, December 1 will examine the Lopez found clinging to their roots some Deadline for the January-February evidence available flecks of gold. Shortly thereafter, Lopez Dispatch to us. sent a letter to California Governor Juan Saturday, December 5 Alvarado notifying him of the gold discovery As the story goes, on March 9, 1842, Christmas Open House and seeking permission to mine the gold. forty-year-old Jose Francisco de Gracia Heritage Jct.; Thus we have the first documented gold Part of Vintage Christmas Lopez (more commonly known as discovery in California history, fully six years Celebration. See page 9 Francisco Lopez), foreman of the Rancho before the more famous discovery of gold Saturday, December 12 San Francisco, and two of his coworkers, by John Marshall on the South fork of the Manuel Cota and Domingo Bermúdez, 40th anniversary of the SCVHS American River. The oak tree under which wandered into the Cañon De Los Encinos Monday, December 28 Lopez presumably fell asleep is now referred (Canyon of the Oaks), now thought to be Board of Directors Meeting to as the Oak of the Golden Dream. But is Placerita Canyon, in search of some stray 6:30 PM Saugus Station this how it really happened? Continued on Page 2 OutWest Concert Series at The Repertory East, 24266 Main St in Newhall. 8:00 PM Christmas open house Thursday, November 19: An evening with Adrian Buckaroogirl; $17.00 deCember 5 at for SCVHS members Check www.scvhistory.org for heritage jCt. other upcoming events. this year part of a vintage Christmas Celebration! Articles and inquiries regarding The Dispatch may see page 9 be made to 661 254-1275 PAGE 2 THE HERITAGE JUNCTION DISPATCH VOLUME 41, ISSUE 6 President’s Message Continued from page 1 MENTIONS OF GOLD IN CALIFORNIA PRIOR the name, one might conjecture that he was the relative of TO THE LOPEZ DISCOVERY the New York broker, and that the gold was sent to him by his brother.” Gold had presumably been found in California and the Santa Clarita Valley, but not documented, even prior to In the Santa Clarita Valley, there is the legend of the Lost the Lopez discovery. According to Guy J. Giffen in The Padres Mine, a story of a cache of gold that may have been Quarterly | Historical Society of Southern California | buried by the Padres of the San Fernando Mission in the March 1948, a cleric accompanying Sir Francis Drake on 1790’s. To this day, no one has found a trace of this gold. his famous circumnavigation of the globe made note of There are also reports of gold mining in San Francisquito a golden treasure to be found among the rocks of the Canyon in the 1820’s and 30’s. California coast when the Drake expedition landed in California on June 17, 1579. Sebastián Vizcaíno sailed up the LOPEZ FAMILY GENEALOGY coast of Alta California in November, 1602 on a mission According to José Jesús López, the grandnephew of to find safe harbors for Spanish Manila galleons on their Francisco López, in an interview with author Frank F. Latta journey from Manila to Acapulco, and to map in detail the (Saga Of Rancho El Tejon, 1976) in 1916, the ancestors California coastline. He reported to the Spanish King about of the Lopez family came from the Asturias Province in possibilities of gold in California. Russian explorers were Spain. The family was very wealthy and belonged to the said to be aware of gold in California in 1814. Mountain aristocracy of Castile. This is disputed by Lynn Adams, a man Jedediah Smith was thought to have found gold near descendant of José Ygnacio Maria de Jesús López, who’s Mono Lake in 1825, which he took with him to the Green genealogical research shows that the patriarch of the López River camp of the American Fur Company. Eugène Duflot family in New Spain was Andres López, born circa 1695 in de Mofras, a French naturalist, botanist, diplomat, and Sinaloa, Mexico. She speculates, although unsubstantiated, explorer, was sent to explore the Pacific Coast of North that the grandfather of Andres López, may have been a Juan America from 1840-1842, ostensibly to access the Mexican López who was a Conquistador under Hernán Cortés. Alta California and American Oregon Territory regions for José Ygnacio María de Jesús López and his wife, María French business interests. In his records, he mentions the Facunda de Mora de López, brought the López family to discovery of gold at San Isidro in present day San Diego Alta California, arriving from Baja California by about County in 1828. 1771. By order of the King of Spain, he would oversee Giffen also mentions in his report an interesting document the construction of the San Gabriel Mission. They started from the Philadelphia Mint that shows the first shipment their journey in the mainland state of Michoacán, where of California gold to the mint by the firm of Hussey and they helped put down a revolution. As a reward for his Mackay on January 30, 1838. The firm handed in 851 oz. service in Michoacán, one of their sons, Juan Bautista López 63 dwt. of California native grains, (placer gold) worth was appointed Mayordomo of the San Fernando Mission approximately $16,000. According to Giffen, “Just how when it was built in 1797. Juan Bautista López and his wife this firm came into possession of these grains has not María Dolores Salgado de López had a number of children, been determined. A letter from Mabel Gillis, Librarian including Pedro López, who became Mayordomo of the of the California State Library may throw some light on San Fernando Mission after the missions were secularized the subject. One Thomas McKay was an employee of the in 1834. Another of their sons was the gold discoverer Hudson [sic] Bay Company. He trapped in the Klamath Francisco López. Pedro’s daughter (and Francisco’s niece) country, Northern California, as early as 1825 and was in Catalina López married her second cousin Jerónimo and out of California for a number of years, returning to López. They became the proprietors of López Station, a Vancouver in 1838. In the will of the New York George stagecoach stop which they built around 1861. The site of Mackay he mentions a brother T.R. Mackay, who might or López Station later became the Van Norman Reservoir in might not have been the Thomas McKay of the Hudson Sylmar. They also built the López Adobe in 1882, which still Bay Company. In spite of the difference in the spelling of stands in the City of San Fernando. Continued on Page 3 PAGE 3 THE HERITAGE JUNCTION DISPATCH VOLUME 41, ISSUE 6 President’s Message Continued from page 2 THE LIFE OF FRANCISCO LÓPEZ Francisco López had personally told him about the gold discovery: “The circumstances of the discovery by López, Born in 1820, Francisco López studied French in college as related by him, are as follows: López with a companion, in Mexico City and learned mineralogy at the Colegia de was out in search of some stray horses, and about midday Mineria. When he came to the Rancho San Francisco, he they stopped under some trees and tied their horses out spent time hunting for gold, bears, and mountain lions. Maria to feed, they resting under the shade; when Lopez with Jacoba Feliz, the daughter of José To m ás Feliz and María his sheath knife dug up some wild onions, and in the dirt de Jesús López, ended up marrying Antonio Del Valle, the discovered a piece of gold, and searching further found man who was granted the Rancho San Francisco (the Santa some more. He brought these to town and showed them Clarita Valley) by Governor Juan Alvarado in 1839. Prior to his friends, who at once declared there must be a placer to obtaining the land grant, Del Valle had taken over as of gold. This news being circulated; numbers of citizens Mayordomo of the San Fernando Mission from Pedro López went to the place and commenced prospecting in the in 1837. The Del Valles rented a portion of the Rancho to neighborhood, and found it to be a fact that there was a Francisco López, which he used for grazing cattle. Francisco placer of gold. After being satisfied many persons returned; would himself become a wealthy landowner. He and his some remained, particularly Sonorensee (Sonorians), brother Pedro were granted the Rancho Tujunga (now Lake who were accustomed to work in placers. They met with View Terrace, Sunland and Tujunga) in 1840. They traded good success. From this time the placers were worked Tujunga for the Rancho Cahuenga in 1845. Francisco, along with more or less success, and principally by Sonorensee with José Arellanes, was granted the Rancho Temescal (Piru (Sonorians), until the latter part of 1846, when most of and Lake Piru to Hasley Canyon) in 1843.