Mining, railroads & moving west
In this beautifully illustrated 1946 map entitled
"Historic Roads to Romance", Vasquez Rocks is small, but present in the upper left corner of the map. Landmarks listed on this map were considered important historic landmarks and tourist attractions. Map illustrated by Claude George Putnam, with research done by Karl T. Brown. Courtesy of the Los Angeles Public Library.
WHY DID AMERICANS HEAD WEST?
Part of the overall increase in Westward expansion in the United States lay in events that occurred on a national scale. Some of the major events that contributed to Westward expansion and migration into California included:
Part of the overall increase in Westward expansion in the United States lay in events that occurred on a national scale. Some of the major events that contributed to Westward expansion and migration into California included:
- 1803: The Louisiana Purchase added over 800,000 square miles of new territory to the U.S., doubling the size of the country.
- 1848: The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed, ending the Mexican-American War and adding over a million square acres, giving the US much of the west, including California. This year also marked the beginning of the main California Gold Rush after the discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill in northern California.
- 1850: California becomes a state.
- 1862: Homestead Act signed. This year the first of five Pacific Railroad Acts was passed, which issued government lands and funding to the Union Pacific and Southern Pacific Railroads.
- 1865: End of the Civil War
- 1893: The publication of Frederick Jackson’s seminal “Frontier Thesis” sparked a passion for many Americans to pursue the dream of the American West, which was seen as a rugged land that provided opportunity, and perhaps most enticingly, freedom and independence. The further west one went, the more “American” they became- and many believed that it was hard to get any further west than California- a land of increasing opportunity and fair weather.
EARLY MINING IN NEARBY AREAS: SANTA CLARITA / ACTON
During the late 1800s, settlement in the immediate Agua Dulce area was sparse, though the nearby areas in today’s Acton, Antelope Valley, and Santa Clarita were growing due to various gold, mineral, and oil mining successes. A small gold rush, the first one in California, occurred in 1842 after Francisco del Valle discovered flakes of gold on his family’s ranch, Rancho San Francisco, in today’s Placerita Canyon Natural Area Park. This discovery prompted others to come and scour the hills and valleys throughout the area, to little avail, however the large discovery at Sutter’s Mill in 1848 caused a much greater influx of prospectors and hopefuls into California.
While come searchers had tunnel vision, looking only for precious metals, time would show that fortunes were to be had with other geological gifts. The year 1865 had seen an oil boom in Newhall, the next largest town to the south of Agua Dulce, and promoted the growth of communities such as Mentryville, where oil is still extracted today.
In 1861, gold was discovered in Acton’s portion of Soledad Canyon, a long canyon that runs northeast to southwest and passes through Santa Clarita, Agua Dulce, and Acton. In 1868, another larger discovery of gold was made in Acton, less than ten miles from Agua Dulce, resulting in the birth of the small towns of Soledad and Ravenna, where the first post office in the area was built that same year. As more came into the area for work, the town of Acton was established. The Acton/Soledad gold mines, which included the Governor and Red Rover mines, proved to be some of the most profitable gold sources in Los Angeles County’s history. Although some local residents of the Agua Dulce area (which at this point consisted of Mint, Tick, and Soledad Canyons as well as Vasquez Rocks) worked in these earlier mines, it was not until the turn of the 20th century that Agua Dulce saw its own contribution to the mining economy.
During the late 1800s, settlement in the immediate Agua Dulce area was sparse, though the nearby areas in today’s Acton, Antelope Valley, and Santa Clarita were growing due to various gold, mineral, and oil mining successes. A small gold rush, the first one in California, occurred in 1842 after Francisco del Valle discovered flakes of gold on his family’s ranch, Rancho San Francisco, in today’s Placerita Canyon Natural Area Park. This discovery prompted others to come and scour the hills and valleys throughout the area, to little avail, however the large discovery at Sutter’s Mill in 1848 caused a much greater influx of prospectors and hopefuls into California.
While come searchers had tunnel vision, looking only for precious metals, time would show that fortunes were to be had with other geological gifts. The year 1865 had seen an oil boom in Newhall, the next largest town to the south of Agua Dulce, and promoted the growth of communities such as Mentryville, where oil is still extracted today.
In 1861, gold was discovered in Acton’s portion of Soledad Canyon, a long canyon that runs northeast to southwest and passes through Santa Clarita, Agua Dulce, and Acton. In 1868, another larger discovery of gold was made in Acton, less than ten miles from Agua Dulce, resulting in the birth of the small towns of Soledad and Ravenna, where the first post office in the area was built that same year. As more came into the area for work, the town of Acton was established. The Acton/Soledad gold mines, which included the Governor and Red Rover mines, proved to be some of the most profitable gold sources in Los Angeles County’s history. Although some local residents of the Agua Dulce area (which at this point consisted of Mint, Tick, and Soledad Canyons as well as Vasquez Rocks) worked in these earlier mines, it was not until the turn of the 20th century that Agua Dulce saw its own contribution to the mining economy.
THE RAILROAD
While mining in Santa Clarita and Acton had brought more settlers into these areas, the railroad had also come to be a vital link in the areas economies. The year 1876 marked a pivotal moment in the history of the Agua Dulce area, with the completion of the Southern Pacific Railroad’s link between northern and southern California, finally connecting Los Angeles to San Francisco. In order to complete this connection, however, the imposing San Gabriel and Tehachapi Mountains had to be bisected. To complete the southern route, from Antelope Valley to Los Angeles, the Newhall Tunnel was created, and was cut (largely by Chinese laborers) through over 7,000 feet of solid rock, with two teams starting at opposing ends and working at a feverish pace to meet in the middle.
While mining in Santa Clarita and Acton had brought more settlers into these areas, the railroad had also come to be a vital link in the areas economies. The year 1876 marked a pivotal moment in the history of the Agua Dulce area, with the completion of the Southern Pacific Railroad’s link between northern and southern California, finally connecting Los Angeles to San Francisco. In order to complete this connection, however, the imposing San Gabriel and Tehachapi Mountains had to be bisected. To complete the southern route, from Antelope Valley to Los Angeles, the Newhall Tunnel was created, and was cut (largely by Chinese laborers) through over 7,000 feet of solid rock, with two teams starting at opposing ends and working at a feverish pace to meet in the middle.
The final incarnation of the Lang Station as it appeared in 1936, drawn by long-time Agua Dulce resident Kay Finley Clawson in the 1970s. Courtesy Kay Finley Clawson.
After the completion of the tunnel, the crews began laying track. Upon the rushed completion of the project, the Southern Pacific Railroad held a massive celebration on September 5, 1876, at Lang Station, which was located 440 miles from San Francisco and 43 miles by road from Los Angeles. Lang had developed as a small mining town, less than five miles to the southwest of Agua Dulce, and the small station was built just before the celebration would occur. It is estimated that over 4,000 railroad employees, and over 1,000 spectators crowded the event, which was also attended by former Governor Leland Stanford (a mastermind of the plan) and other notable Californians. The crowd eagerly watched while railroad supervisor Charles Crocker drove a solid gold spike into the railway, announcing for all the finality and importance of this union. Southern California’s relative isolation from the rest of the country was over, and a new era of business and pleasure would begin. There are believed to have been four structures that served as Lang Station over the years, with the first possibly being a small temporary structure or railroad car, which was replaced by a wooden structure that burned down in 1888. The third structure also burned down, in 1906, and the fourth structure was eventually torn down in 1968 as the need for it had passed and it had fallen into poor condition. The site was placed on California's Register of Historic Places (no. 590) in 1957.
A colemanite crystal specimen from Kern County, California, similar to what was found in Tick Canyon. (Source: www.minedat.org).
BORAX MINING IN AGUA DULCE
A hot, dry, August day in 1907 proved to permanently alter the course of the small, developing town of Agua Dulce. Two dusty, well-worn prospectors named Shepherd and Eppinger were searching through Tick Canyon (a small canyon that connected to Mint Canyon) for gold. While their search for precious metals turned up fruitless, they thought they had found something of some use when they spotted an outcropping of small, shimmering, white crystals. Unsure of what they had found, they shipped three samples of the mineral to be tested by the three largest borate miners and borax producers in the state: the American Borax Company, the Pacific Coast Borax Company, and the Stauffer Chemical Company. Because of the vast amounts of worthless samples sent in by prospectors across the state, the Tick Canyon samples were initially put aside, but after several days, chemist Henry Blumenberg, the managing director of the American Borax Company’s mine at Daggett (in San Bernardino County) became the first of the three to examine the samples. He quickly recognized them as high-quality colemanite crystals, a borate mineral from which borax could be refined, and rushed to the site.
A hot, dry, August day in 1907 proved to permanently alter the course of the small, developing town of Agua Dulce. Two dusty, well-worn prospectors named Shepherd and Eppinger were searching through Tick Canyon (a small canyon that connected to Mint Canyon) for gold. While their search for precious metals turned up fruitless, they thought they had found something of some use when they spotted an outcropping of small, shimmering, white crystals. Unsure of what they had found, they shipped three samples of the mineral to be tested by the three largest borate miners and borax producers in the state: the American Borax Company, the Pacific Coast Borax Company, and the Stauffer Chemical Company. Because of the vast amounts of worthless samples sent in by prospectors across the state, the Tick Canyon samples were initially put aside, but after several days, chemist Henry Blumenberg, the managing director of the American Borax Company’s mine at Daggett (in San Bernardino County) became the first of the three to examine the samples. He quickly recognized them as high-quality colemanite crystals, a borate mineral from which borax could be refined, and rushed to the site.
In the late 19th century, borate-based products became a commodity that became increasingly popular in American homes and businesses. Borax was an effective detergent, but was also used as a flux for welding and soldering, flame retardant, ceramic glaze additive, insect repellant, disinfectant, as an anti-fungal additive for building construction. Borax soared in popularity and was met with overwhelming demand, in large part due to smart marketing moves by the big borax producers such as Frances Marion Smith, better known as the “Borax King”.
Stephen T. Mather, 1916. Courtesy of the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society.
After catching wind of the discovery via telegraph, the competitors were hot on Blumenberg’s trail in a mad race to reach the obscure little canyon before the others. William Washington “Wash” Cahill (of Francis Marion Smith’s 20-Mule Team Borax company), John Ryan (of the Pacific Coast Borax Company), and Thomas Thorkildsen (of the Thorkildsen & Mather Company) reached the site just after Blumenberg, who had been the first to file a claim on the deposits. An interesting character, Thorkildsen had, for many years, worked closely with Smith (the “borax king”), but in 1897 parted ways and became a somewhat embittered competitor. In 1903, another of Smith’s long-term partners, Thomas Mather, more hesitantly parted ways with Smith and joined his old friend and business associate Thorkildsen to form the Thorkildsen & Mather Company. A battle over the deposit ensued, however, clever businessman Thorkildsen was granted the main right because he had cleverly made a deal with two other prospector who had staked an earlier placer claim on the property. Ultimately, the group compromised to form a deal, and in January of 1908 the Sterling Borax Company was formed. The Stauffer Company held 40%, Blumenberg and his associates (Dawes and Myler from the American Borax Company) held 40%, and the Thorkildsen & Mather Company held 20%. By October of that year, however, changes were made when Dawes and Myler bought out Blumenberg’s share, and quickly sold their 40% stake, in addition to two out-of-state refineries, to Thorkildsen and Mather, who then owned 60% of the company.
Thomas Thorkildsen, courtesy of the Santa Clarita Historical Society.
In addition to becoming owners of the refineries and knocking out middlemen, Thorkildsen and Mather were at another advantage in that the Tick Canyon mine was located only five miles from Lang Station, which was part of the Southern Pacific Railroad. They simply added a narrow-gauge train (known as the “dinky train”) that carried the crushed ore five miles to the station, where it was loaded up and shipped off to the refineries in Chicago and Pittsburg. This close proximity to the railroad meant they enjoyed a much lower shipping cost than the competitor’s mines in area like Death Valley, giving them a competitive edge over rivals like Frances Smith.
The production quickly expanded, and by 1910 the mine was producing 12,500 tons of ore per year, which equated to about 30% of the U.S.’s borax. In 1911, a quiet exchange of the company was completed when Borax Consolidated Company (also known as the BCC, previously the Pacific Coast Borax Company) acquired the company and mine for $1.8 million dollars, without most of the crew even knowing. This was in large part due to the declining price of borax, combined with Thorkildsen’s restlessness and desire to get out rich, and the BCC’s financial struggles and resulting need to increase their production.
The production quickly expanded, and by 1910 the mine was producing 12,500 tons of ore per year, which equated to about 30% of the U.S.’s borax. In 1911, a quiet exchange of the company was completed when Borax Consolidated Company (also known as the BCC, previously the Pacific Coast Borax Company) acquired the company and mine for $1.8 million dollars, without most of the crew even knowing. This was in large part due to the declining price of borax, combined with Thorkildsen’s restlessness and desire to get out rich, and the BCC’s financial struggles and resulting need to increase their production.
A view of Tick Canyon with the borax mine's various structures visible. Photo courtesy Dick Wright.
After the sale, Thorkildsen and Mather, remaining friends, parted ways as businessmen. Thorkildsen pursued a playboy bachelor’s life in Los Angeles, while Mather took a remarkable path, using his passion for the outdoors and newly acquired wealth to help create the National Park System, where he served as the first director. A series of bronze plaque markers were installed throughout the National Parks after Mather’s death in 1930 and describe his great contributions: “He laid the foundation of the National Park Service, defining and establishing the policies under which its areas shall be developed and conserved, unimpaired for future generations. There will never come an end to the good he has done . . .". Though Thorkildsen and Mather’s time at the mine did not have a long run, it proved to serve as a launching vehicle for their highly successful careers.
The 1917 acquisition of the Sterling Borax Company proved, for at least a few more years, to be a decent buy for the BCC. That year, the California State Mining Bureau reported that Los Angeles County’s borax production was over half a million dollars, with most coming from the now 1,200 acre Sterling Mine.
At its height, the mine employed several hundred men, with small houses and bunkers built to house them and their families. As families gathered, the social scene grew, with dances held in various locations, including the mine’s commissary, with folks coming from the nearby canyons of Soledad and Mint, and even from Acton, to eat, drink, dance, and socialize. The dinky train was utilized here as guest transportation, moving people on the weekends just as it moved ore during the week. For the first time in the area’s history, a sense of community and individual identity began to emerge, and the town had developed as more than just a stopping point for others who were on their way somewhere else.
At its height, the mine employed several hundred men, with small houses and bunkers built to house them and their families. As families gathered, the social scene grew, with dances held in various locations, including the mine’s commissary, with folks coming from the nearby canyons of Soledad and Mint, and even from Acton, to eat, drink, dance, and socialize. The dinky train was utilized here as guest transportation, moving people on the weekends just as it moved ore during the week. For the first time in the area’s history, a sense of community and individual identity began to emerge, and the town had developed as more than just a stopping point for others who were on their way somewhere else.
Gallery: Images from the heydey of the Tick Canyon borax mine in Agua Dulce (click to enlarge images)
By 1922, various complications (including an outside acquisition of the BCC and the further declining price of borax) caused the mine to shut down permanently. As some families began to leave the area, the timber from the mine, as well as the tools and other equipment, were stripped and sold, much of it as scrap, with some of the structures moved whole to areas like Vasquez Rocks and other homesteads.
Though some families had left the area, some stayed behind and created a tight-knit community of their own. Train engineer Ben Truex and his wife, Grace, held reunions at their home in Agua Dulce, where old friends and coworkers could eat, drink, dance, and reminisce on the days long past, and look towards the future of the small town born of their efforts.