Mint Canyon entry in the 1933 Newhall Fourth of July Parade. Handwriting on the back of this tiny, 2x3-inch photographic print identifies it as July 4, 1933.

Because of the empty spaces on either side of the hardware store and the two-story building down the block, this photograph only makes sense if the parade went up Railroad Avenue instead of Spruce Street (which became San Fernando Road in the 1950s).

If it were on Spruce Street, the hardware store (which until very recently was H.W. Bricker's General Store — "Bricker" is painted out), would be flanked by the Bank of Italy (Bank of America) on the left and a feed store (or its successor) on the right, and there would be no two-story building down the block.

But on Railroad Avenue, Frances Phillips' two-story boarding house would be right where it appears in this photo.

At this time, the hardware (or general) store had two storefronts — one facing Spruce and the other facing Railroad. (Originally, it only faced Railroad. The original back of the store became a second front when most of the merchants moved off of Railroad and onto Spruce in 1914.)

The hardware (general) storefront that faced Spruce had an attic vent as seen in this photograph. The storefront shown here does not.

HOWEVER, The Signal newspaper of July 6, 1933, says the parade started on Kansas Street near Pico Road (now called Lyons), then traveled east on Pico to Spruce Street, thence south to Newhall Avenue (at today's traffic circle), then went north on Newhall to Chestnut Street, thence north all the way to Newhall (Elementary) School at 11th Street.

So, this is all very confusing. Maybe these two photographs show the entries while they're en route to Kansas Street for the official start of the parade. Another possibility, however remote, is that the person who wrote "July 4, 1933" on the back of one of these photographs got the year wrong.

The parade entry advertises a dance at the Mint Canyon Ball Room. This was likely the Mint Canyon Community Building at 17766 Sierra Highway, which later became the Santa Clarita Elks Lodge (B.P.O.E. 2379).