Western Pioneer. He was businessman whose extensive land holdings became the California communities of Newhall, Saugus, Santa Clarita and Valencia. In 1850, he came to California to search for gold but when he arrived many of the good mining sites had already been claimed. Settling in San Francisco, he opened the H.M. Newhall & Company, an auction house which became extremely successful. He next invested in railroad companies and became president of the San Francisco and San Jose Railroad. In 1870, he sold his railroad, started ranching and purchased 143,000 acres of land grants in the Monterey and Santa Barbara Counties. His most significant acquisition was the historic 46,460 acre land grant in northern Los Angeles County where he granted a right-of-way to Southern Pacific Railroad and also sold them a portion of the land, upon which the company built a town they named after him. He retired to his ranch in the Santa Clarita Valley in 1880, where he lived and while horseback riding around his property on March 11, 1882, he was thrown from the horse. He was taken to San Francisco for treatment and died two days later.
Western Pioneer. He was businessman whose extensive land holdings became the California communities of Newhall, Saugus, Santa Clarita and Valencia. In 1850, he came to California to search for gold but when he arrived many of the good mining sites had already been claimed. Settling in San Francisco, he opened the H.M. Newhall & Company, an auction house which became extremely successful. He next invested in railroad companies and became president of the San Francisco and San Jose Railroad. In 1870, he sold his railroad, started ranching and purchased 143,000 acres of land grants in the Monterey and Santa Barbara Counties. His most significant acquisition was the historic 46,460 acre land grant in northern Los Angeles County where he granted a right-of-way to Southern Pacific Railroad and also sold them a portion of the land, upon which the company built a town they named after him. He retired to his ranch in the Santa Clarita Valley in 1880, where he lived and while horseback riding around his property on March 11, 1882, he was thrown from the horse. He was taken to San Francisco for treatment and died two days later.
Bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith
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