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range kept the isolated community from development. The first decade of Albert C. Swall was another pe:i;soriality who contributed to the develop-
the new century was a trial and tribulation until the City of Los Angeles ment of the land around Eternal Valley. For many years, Jake Swall and his
began construction of the Los Angeles Aqueduct in 1910. In response to the three sons, Albert, Henry and fake Jr. had manned the equipment to harvest
demands of anguished motorists, the County of Los Angeles relocated the wheat on the ranch fields.
road and replaced Beale's Cut with the Newhall Highway Tunnel. For the The area became a favorite location for shooting films in the early days
first time it became possible to travel to and from the Valley in some degree of the movie industry. On the old hotel register, which burned with the
of safety and comfort. building in 1917, were the names of such movie greats as Harry Carey, Cecil
B. DeMille and Dustin Farnum. Mary Pickford and William S. Hart filmed
"Rags" at the site, and the Presbyterian Chapel was a favorite location of
Charlie Chaplin's. "The Virginian" and "The Light of the Eastern Star" were
Today the original pass is
deserted, its towering sand- among other silent movies filmed in the region. William S. Hart's home, now
stone walls blocking out a State Park and Museum, is adjacent to the Eternal Valley property.
the noise of heavy traffic
only a stone's throw away.
BEALE'S CUT Modern Highway Ends Isolation

A more direct route northward was attained when Highway 99 was
/ built through the hills at the top of Weldon Canyon in 1929. Eleven years
/ later, the Newhall Tunnel was altered into today's Open Cut through the
l' crest of the Divide. The Golden State Freeway, connecting the "Ridge
/ Route," Sierra Highway, Foothill Boulevard, Sepulveda Boulevard and San
Fernando Road opened through the mountains in 1954, bringing Eternal
/ // Valley Memorial Park within minutes of Los Angeles and the entire San
I Fernando Valley.
/ I,,
l /

Personalities who added color to the region's history had always emerged
in times of stress. First Newhall had gotten the town underway. Then starting
on a career which led to the presidency of Standard Oil of California, D. G.
Schofield, with his oil payrolls, filled the void left by Newhall's death. Next
came Needham, who took over sole ownership of the Eternal Valley site at
the turn of the century. He was the first to attempt to bulld up the area by
land sales and attracting people from over the Divide. Under his leadership,
the new settlers were chicken ranchers, fruit growers and vineyard keepers.
In 1888, Eternal Valley was known as the Needham Family Cemetery. THE SWALL FAMILY HARVESTING WHEAT

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