Plenty of towns that dot the California landscape can claim a piece of the state's celebrated history in gold, oil, transportation and filming. Santa Clarita is no exception, but for one thing. In many respects, Santa Clarita is where it all started. Long before there were stagecoach lines, the Santa Clarita Valley was an important crossroads along ancient Indian trade routes. North met south and east met west at a craggy rock formation named, much later, for Bandido
Tiburcio Vasquez.
Santa Clarita's topography lent itself to early filming. Silent screen stars like William S. Hart and Tom Mix used the valley to create the traditions that would define the "Western." Santa Clarita's Western roots shaped its ultimate transformation into a vibrant community of safe streets, award-winning schools, new technologies, and thriving industries. More than simple landmarks of yesteryear, today the Hart mansion, Heritage Junction, Mentryville, Vasquez Rocks, and the Placerita Nature Center vividly demonstrate
the ways in which the people of Santa Clarita are preserving the past for the benefit of the future.
With its eight diverse communities, Santa Clarita residents are proud of its historic past, growing present, and promising future. The City of Santa Clarita, founded December 15, 1987, is comprised of half of the eight towns and includes Canyon Country, Saugus, Newhall, and Valencia. The remaining four areas of Agua Dulce, Castaic, Stevenson Ranch, and Val Verde are part of the unincorporated Los Angeles County called the Santa Clarita Valley.
For a more detailed and extended look at the history of Santa Clarita please visit the Santa Clarita Historical Society at http://www.scvhs.org
The Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce has been the "Voice of Business" for 84 years. The organization was first formed as the Newhall Chamber of Commerce and the minutes from the first meeting were recorded February 21, 1923. The original Board of Directors was comprised of 11 members with those receiving the top five votes, serving two-year terms and the remaining six members serving a one-year term. Upon reelection, each Board of Director would serve a two-year term. Their Executive
committee consisted of the President, Vice-President, and Secretary/Treasurer. In their by-laws, they refer to “Roberts Rules of Order” as the way to conduct meetings. A.C. Swall was the first Chamber of Commerce President elected. The first printed membership roster included 60 member names indicating the local community’s support and the need for a local Chamber of Commerce.
In 1972, the Chamber's Articles of Incorporation were amended and the name was changed to the Newhall-Saugus-Valencia Chamber of Commerce. Almost eight years later, in 1980, an additional amendment was filed and the Chamber officially became, was is known today, as the Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce.
The first Chamber meetings were held in the Masonic Club Room in Newhall. One of the first committees, a committee of one, was appointed to secure house numbers and induce property owners to place those numbers on their houses and/or businesses. Even then, the Chamber was a proactive force in the community.