At present in SCV Historical past, June 8, 1851 marks the delivery of H. Clay “Daddy Mo” Needham, a key determine within the early growth of Newhall and the broader Santa Clarita Valley.
Needham’s story winds by the guts of Nineteenth-century America, from his Kentucky childhood to frontier Illinois, and ultimately to Kansas, the place he taught college, married Lillie Florence Taylor, and entered the short-lived coal growth earlier than relocating west.
In 1888, the Needham household settled in Los Angeles County, ultimately establishing deep roots within the hills close to Newhall.
As a distinguished prohibitionist, Needham got here to California to handle the “St. John Subdivision,” a Newhall land tract bought by temperance allies together with former Kansas Governor John P. St. John.
Deeds within the subdivision included covenants banning alcohol completely, a mirrored image of the household’s dedication to the temperance motion.
At one level, the Needham household owned greater than 600 acres in Newhall, the place H. Clay turned an anchor of the local people. He helped construct the Good Templar Corridor, operated the Newhall Water Firm, and even hosted free public campgrounds for vacationers through the Nice Melancholy.
His oil ventures, together with the Pearl Oil Co. and Neil Oil Co., named after his youngsters, contributed to the valley’s financial progress.
Needham additionally served as mayor of Arcadia, chaired the California Prohibition Get together, and even campaigned for the U.S. Senate.
He handed away in 1936, however his presence lingers.
The positioning of his former ranch is now Eternal Valley Memorial Park in Newhall, the place his daughter Nelle is buried and his spouse’s sq. grand piano, a present from H. Clay is displayed within the workplace.
To learn yesterday’s SCV Historical past, click on HERE.
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