Henry Newhall
Encyclopedia
Henry Mayo Newhall was an American
businessman, whose extensive land holdings became the current communities of Newhall, Saugus
, Valencia
, and the city of Santa Clarita
, in Southern California
.
, Henry Newhall came to California, like many others, in search of gold
during the California Gold Rush
. He had been working as an auction
eer when news of the gold rush reached the East Coast. He left by ship, arriving on the West Coast in 1850. However, he had been forced to stop in the Isthmus of Panama
for six months to recover from an illness he contracted. Upon his arrival in San Francisco
, many of the good mining sites had already been claimed, so he opened an auction house instead. H.M. Newhall & Company became extremely successful.
Newhall's next business interest was railroads. He invested in rail companies that would connect San Francisco to other cities and became president of the San Francisco and San Jose Rail Road
. In 1870, when he and his partners sold the company to Southern Pacific Railroad
, he joined its board of directors
.
After railroads, Newhall turned his eye to auctioneering, real estate
and ranching. He purchased 143000 acres (579 km²) of Mexican land grant
s, including Rancho Todos Santos y San Antonio
, and Rancho Suey
in Santa Barbara County, and Rancho El Piojo
and Rancho San Miguelito de Trinidad
in Monterey County
.
The most significant acquisition was the historic land grant
46460 acres (188 km²) Rancho San Francisco
in the Santa Clarita Valley
of northern Los Angeles County
, which he purchased for $2/acre, It included portions of the Santa Clara River
and the Santa Susana Mountains
, the former homeland of the Tataviam
Native Americans. The ranch became known as Newhall Ranch after Newhall's death. Within this territory, he granted a right-of-way to Southern Pacific Railroad through what is now Newhall Pass, and he also sold them a portion of the land, upon which the company built a town they named after him: Newhall. The first station
built on the line he named for his hometown, Saugus.
Newhall split his time between his ranch in the Santa Clarita Valley and his auction house and residence in San Francisco, but after a bout of food poisoning in 1880, he retired to his ranch. In March 1882, while horseback riding around his property, he was thrown from the horse. Taken back to San Francisco for treatment, he died a few days later on March 13, 1882.
Henry Newhall's heirs incorporated the Newhall Land and Farming Company
, which oversaw the latter 20th century development of urban sprawl
in towns on its land as planned communities
. Henry Mayo Newhall is memorialized by the Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital
, several street names in the area once part of the Newhall Ranch (including the portion of California State Route 126
west of Interstate 5
known as Henry Mayo Drive), and the Henry Mayo Newhall Foundation.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
businessman, whose extensive land holdings became the current communities of Newhall, Saugus
Saugus, California
Saugus is a neighborhood in Santa Clarita, California. Saugus was one of the four communities that merged in 1987 to create the city of Santa Clarita. Saugus is named after Saugus, Massachusetts, the hometown of Henry Newhall, upon whose land the town was originally built...
, Valencia
Valencia, California
Valencia is an affluent planned community located in the City of Santa Clarita, California and Los Angeles County, California, U.S. in the northwestern corner of the Santa Clarita Valley, adjacent to Interstate 5. In 1987, it was one of the four unincorporated communities that merged to create the...
, and the city of Santa Clarita
Santa Clarita, California
Santa Clarita is the fourth largest city in Los Angeles County, California, United States and the twenty-fourth largest city in the state of California. The 2010 US Census reported the city's population grew 16.7% from the year 2000 to 176,320 residents. It is located about northwest of downtown...
, in Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
.
Life
Born in Saugus, MassachusettsSaugus, Massachusetts
Saugus is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. The population was 26,628 at the 2010 census.-History:Saugus was first settled in 1629. Saugus is an Indian name believed to mean "great" or "extended"...
, Henry Newhall came to California, like many others, in search of gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
during the California Gold Rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
. He had been working as an auction
Auction
An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...
eer when news of the gold rush reached the East Coast. He left by ship, arriving on the West Coast in 1850. However, he had been forced to stop in the Isthmus of Panama
Isthmus of Panama
The Isthmus of Panama, also historically known as the Isthmus of Darien, is the narrow strip of land that lies between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, linking North and South America. It contains the country of Panama and the Panama Canal...
for six months to recover from an illness he contracted. Upon his arrival in San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, many of the good mining sites had already been claimed, so he opened an auction house instead. H.M. Newhall & Company became extremely successful.
Newhall's next business interest was railroads. He invested in rail companies that would connect San Francisco to other cities and became president of the San Francisco and San Jose Rail Road
San Francisco and San Jose Rail Road
The San Francisco and San Jose Railroad was a railroad incorporated on August 18, 1860 and consists of 49.5 miles of track running the San Francisco Peninsula from San Francisco, California to San Jose, California...
. In 1870, when he and his partners sold the company to Southern Pacific Railroad
Southern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
, he joined its board of directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
.
After railroads, Newhall turned his eye to auctioneering, real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
and ranching. He purchased 143000 acres (579 km²) of Mexican land grant
Ranchos of California
The Spanish, and later the Méxican government encouraged settlement of territory now known as California by the establishment of large land grants called ranchos, from which the English ranch is derived. Devoted to raising cattle and sheep, the owners of the ranchos attempted to pattern themselves...
s, including Rancho Todos Santos y San Antonio
Rancho Todos Santos y San Antonio
Rancho Todos Santos y San Antonio was a Mexican land grant in present day Santa Barbara County, California given in 1841 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to William Edward Petty Hartnell. The grant extended along San Antonio Creek and encompassed present day Orcutt., northwest of Lompoc-History:W....
, and Rancho Suey
Rancho Suey
Rancho Suey was a Mexican land grant in present day southern San Luis Obispo County and northern Santa Barbara County, California given in 1837 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to María Ramona Carrillo de Pacheco...
in Santa Barbara County, and Rancho El Piojo
Rancho El Piojo
Rancho El Piojo was a Mexican land grant in present day Monterey County, California given in 1842 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to Joaquín Soto. The grant extened along Piojo Creek south of Rancho San Miguelito de Trinidad.-History:...
and Rancho San Miguelito de Trinidad
Rancho San Miguelito de Trinidad
Rancho San Miguelito de Trinidad was a Mexican land grant in present day southern Monterey County, California given in 1841 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to José Rafael Gonzalez...
in Monterey County
Monterey County, California
Monterey County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, its northwestern section forming the southern half of Monterey Bay. The northern half of the bay is in Santa Cruz County. As of 2010, the population was 415,057. The county seat and largest city is Salinas...
.
The most significant acquisition was the historic land grant
Land grant
A land grant is a gift of real estate – land or its privileges – made by a government or other authority as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service...
46460 acres (188 km²) Rancho San Francisco
Rancho San Francisco
Rancho San Francisco was a land grant in present day northwestern Los Angeles County and eastern Ventura County, California. It was of by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to Antonio del Valle, a Spanish army officer, in recognition for his service to the state of Alta California...
in the Santa Clarita Valley
Santa Clarita Valley
The Santa Clarita Valley is the valley of the Santa Clara River in Southern California. It stretches through Los Angeles County and Ventura County. Its main population center is the city of Santa Clarita. The valley was part of the Rancho San Francisco Mexican land grant...
of northern Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...
, which he purchased for $2/acre, It included portions of the Santa Clara River
Santa Clara River (California)
The Santa Clara River is approximately long, located in southern California in the United States. It drains an area of the coastal mountains north of Los Angeles. The Santa Clara is one of the largest river systems along the coast of Southern California and one of only a few remaining river...
and the Santa Susana Mountains
Santa Susana Mountains
The Santa Susana Mountains are a transverse range of mountains in southern California, north of the city of Los Angeles, in the United States. The range runs east-west separating the San Fernando Valley and Simi Valley on its south, from Santa Clara River Valley to the north, and Santa Clarita...
, the former homeland of the Tataviam
Tataviam
The Tataviam , were called the Alliklik by their neighbors the Chumash , are a Native American group in southern California...
Native Americans. The ranch became known as Newhall Ranch after Newhall's death. Within this territory, he granted a right-of-way to Southern Pacific Railroad through what is now Newhall Pass, and he also sold them a portion of the land, upon which the company built a town they named after him: Newhall. The first station
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
built on the line he named for his hometown, Saugus.
Newhall split his time between his ranch in the Santa Clarita Valley and his auction house and residence in San Francisco, but after a bout of food poisoning in 1880, he retired to his ranch. In March 1882, while horseback riding around his property, he was thrown from the horse. Taken back to San Francisco for treatment, he died a few days later on March 13, 1882.
Henry Newhall's heirs incorporated the Newhall Land and Farming Company
Newhall Land and Farming Company
The Newhall Land and Farming Company is a land management company based in Valencia, California, United States. The company is responsible for the master community planning of Valencia, as well as the management of farm land elsewhere in the state...
, which oversaw the latter 20th century development of urban sprawl
Urban sprawl
Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a multifaceted concept, which includes the spreading outwards of a city and its suburbs to its outskirts to low-density and auto-dependent development on rural land, high segregation of uses Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a...
in towns on its land as planned communities
New town
A new town is a specific type of a planned community, or planned city, that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are uncommon in new...
. Henry Mayo Newhall is memorialized by the Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital
Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital
Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital is a 221-bed not-for-profit community hospital and trauma center in Valencia, California in the Santa Clarita Valley. It was founded in 1975...
, several street names in the area once part of the Newhall Ranch (including the portion of California State Route 126
California State Route 126
State Route 126 is a highway in Ventura and Los Angeles counties, California. The route runs from U.S. Route 101 in Ventura to Interstate 5 in Santa Clarita...
west of Interstate 5
Interstate 5
Interstate 5 is the main Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific Ocean coastline from Canada to Mexico . It serves some of the largest cities on the U.S...
known as Henry Mayo Drive), and the Henry Mayo Newhall Foundation.