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The some year, 1882, Mr. Newhall built a grocery store on the northwest
corner of Railroad and Market Streets, and thereafter the space previously
used in the hotel for a grocery became a bar and billiard room, still maintain-
ing a good repute.
Mr. John T. Gifford, line rider for the Western Union, with its one wire
in 1871, patrolling territory between Los Angeles and Elizabeth Lake, also
to Camulos, became the first depot agent. His tasks, due to the heavy ship-
ping of oil, grain and honey, eventually necessitated an assistant.
Mrs. Sarah Gifford, his wife, was the first woman resident of the town,
and their daughter is the present Mrs. Mabel Gifford Taylor. Quarters in the
depot, the family moved to their own home, built on the northeast corner of
Seventh and Pine Streets, on April 1884, where the dauhgter still resides. This
home boasted the first lawn in town.

GOLD
"-Gold, gold in California!" Those magic words are the keynote of
this first centennial year. When the eyes of James W. Marshall caught the
reflection of a tiny speck of gold in the tail race of Sutter's Mill on January 24,
1848, a chain of events was set in motion which changed the course of history,
influenced the lives of tens of millions, and converted a wilderness into
an empire.
Marshall's flake from Sutter' s Mill was the signal for one of the most spon-
taneous and colorful migrations recorded in history or presented in pageantry
This speck of gold gave the impulse to those who crossed the plains in covered
wagons, came 'round the horn, and across the fever-infested isthmus; then
came the spanning of the continent by steel rails, later followed by the building
of the Panama Canal.

on.
Nature, with a lavish hand, poured wealth into the Santa Clara Valley.
Not only yellow gold and rich farms were to be found in its lowlands, but
also the black gold of oil remained to be pumped from the surrounding hills
and canyons. At night the lighted wells now seem like jewelled ornaments
against the dark bulk of the hills, and they ARE jewels in the addition of
wealth and prosperity to all of the valley communities. Union Oil Co., Barns-
dall, Havenstrite, Standard Oil of Calif., Gulf, Texaco, Signal, and Richfield
are all located in the area.
Among the other industries flourishing here are Bermite Powder Co.,
Bonelli Cattle Ranch, Rodeo, and Races, Betsy Linda Stock Ranch, Newhall
Land and Farming Co., Butler and Haddad, potato raisers, Newhali Ranch
Supply, Castaic Brick Factory, three dairies, three grocery stores, two shoe
stores, two drug stores, one 5-10-lSc store, a Firestone Store, a Western Auto
Store, ladies' ready-to-wear, knitting shop, theatre, department store, flower