Page 8 - sg_vigilanceforever1994

8 VIGILANCE FOREVER - 75 years of The Signal 1919-1994

Photo courtesy of SCV Historical Society
When Edward H. Brown published the first issue of The Signal in 1919, Newhall was a relatively sleepy town of "500 souls."

company. Mr. Mix has a wonderful
1919 "Newhall is a small town of 500 souls, trick horse and this animal did his
share.
Continued from page 7 with great opportunities ahead of it; and
"Throwing a rope around the chim-
future film, but, judging from what we the aid of irrigation, w hich it now has at ney, and with the other end attached to
saw, 'Douglas at the County Fair,' the saddle on the horse, Mr. Mix gave
might be considered appropriate ... the word, and with a snort and plunge,
Market Street from the drug store to its door, there is no reason why she 'Trixie' started forward, and with the
the railroad track was decorated with should not improve rapidly." downfall of the chimney, away went
yards and yards of bunting, signs, flags the landmark of the old Newhall
etc., not omitting the ice cream stands hotel."
along the way. There were about 40 -The Signal, Feb. 7, 1919 In the same issue, Hotel Swall's
horses in the performance and these advertisement appeared as usual. The
did their part by going through the on Monday. He is kept quite busy with the oldest in this part of Los Angeles following week, A.C. Swall
antics which people pay to· see at a his truck business." ... "The Stearling County, was totally destroyed by fire announced plans for an all-new "'fire-
county fair." Borax Mine, near Lang, are working Tuesday afternoon. The fire was first proof' building.
Newhall was called Fair Point for full time, three sets of miners working discovered about 3:15 o'clock and is The Signal in its first year still had
the day. eight hours each, consequently the of unknown origin. an early post-war feel, carrying the
When The Newhall Signal made its mine never stops working." "The building was Mr. A. C. Swan's occasional letter from one of "our
debut, a one-year subscription cost $2. The paper also reported 45 men old hotel, and he is practically the only boys" still stationed in Europe after
TI1ere were no screaming headlines, were employed, "loyal and devoted to loser, as he did !}Ot carry any insur- serving during World War I. Brown
and one could find unlabeled opinion their superintendent" and they looked ance. His loss also includes a 3-room noted sarcastically in the Feb. 28 issue:
just about anywhere within the paper's ··prosperous and contented." house at the rear of the hotel. "The Germans still cherish hopes that
pages. The Signal's first big story was that "The building was first built by the America will stand their friend at the
Among the tidbits in the first issue of the destruction of the Swall hotel, a Newhall brothers in the early days of peace table. The sinking of the
of The Signal: "There have been sev- landmark structure and one of the the town, about 40 years ago, and was Lusitania and the bombing of
eral cases of the 'flu' here, but they are newspaper's regular advertisers. On then used as a blacksmith shop." ... American Red Cross hospitals are, of
all up and around now." . . . "Mr. Friday, March 21, 1919, the headline "The very tall chimney of the old course, strong and convincing reasons
Buttler of the Buttler grocery was in read: "AN OLD LAND MARK building stood plumb throughout the why we should feel kindly toward
Los Angeles the first of the week buy- BURNS DOWN TUESDAY." fire and was standing Wednesday them."
ing goods." . . . Mr. Bricker, of the The story: One of the oldest build- morning when Tom Mix, a well- Far from the suburb it has become,
Bricker Grocery, was in San Fernando ings in Newhall, and probably one of known 'movie' actor, arrived with his Please see 1919, page 24

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