To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the February 9, 1971 M6.6 Sylmar / San Fernando Earthquake, our featured image shows the construction work in progress on the I-5 and State 14 interchange in 1970. This work would be halted abruptly in the early hours of February 9, 1971. After this, it would be reconstructed two more times. The earthquake changed the way freeways such as this were built and did further seismic codes throughout the state.
For further information about the interchange:
The Saugus Cafe, which has been in business for 132 years, is in danger of closing. With the ongoing crisis, business has slowed and restrictions are in place making it tougher than ever. This restaurant is a part of the history of Santa Clarita and US 99. It is located at 25861 Railroad Avenue (formerly San Fernando Road) in Santa Clarita, California. As a kid, I always enjoyed going there and getting a seat near the window so I could watch the trains go by. I was last able to stop there in January 2020. It isn’t truly a Ridge Route trip without it, as it is the LAST place that is still around that dates to that era AND is along the route.
If you’d like to help save this historic restaurant and learn more, KHTS radio has a detailed article here. The Saugus Cafe has also started a “GoFundMe” account. If you are in the area, please stop by the restaurant and show your support! We need places like this to keep going, as without we lose a part of our heritage and a connection to the past.
This article was originally posted on the
Historic Highway 99 Association of California’s website.
Back in the 1970’s, long before it was known as “Six Flags Magic Mountain”, it was simply known as “Magic Mountain” and had an area known as “Spillikin Corners”. At the time, it had a train which ran in a loop, not unlike so many other parks of the era. The train was gone by the 1980’s, and the area is now known for rollercoasters such as “West Coast Racers” and “Apocalypse”. This train platform was adjacent to the path that led between “Apocalypse” and “Roaring Rapids”. Sadly, these last remnants of old Magic Mountain were removed in 2018. The photo shows the last remnants of a platform which last saw use more than 35 years ago, likely longer. Do you have memories or photos of the trains there?
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This morning (2/21/2020) at 5:42 am, a small earthquake struck the Castaic area north of Los Angeles. Just looking at the maps, it seems near the San Gabriel Fault but it is a somewhat complex area. It was also a very deep earthquake as they go, 18.1 km. Shaking was felt in a wide area but wasn’t very strong.
For more information, check out the USGS Summary Page of the event.
https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/ci39079535/executive
It has certainly been interesting in southern California lately. Between fires breaking out on a near daily basis, sometimes hourly, it has been a bit difficult to keep up with things. One of the fires, the Tick Fire, burned very close to where I used to live in Santa Clarita. My father still lives there and did have to evacuate. It was quite tense for a while as the fire was still out-of-control and heading directly for that area. Thankfully, there was no damage there, though some houses nearby did burn. The hills I used to hike as a kid where I studied the spectacular outcrops of the Mint Canyon Formation also burned. Seeing the images on the news and trying to figure out where exactly they were was truly a little too close to home.
The Saddleridge Fire burned the area around the Newhall Pass, closing it for a considerable amount of time. Fires still flare up in the burn area, keeping the crews busy. I haven’t had a chance to go up to the area to assess what burned and if any of the historic roadways in the area were affected. My twitter account has been a bit active lately regarding news about the fires and agencies to contact or follow for more information.
Power outages, resultant from a decision by the utilities to shut down the power in areas of high fire danger, known as Public Safety Power Shutdown, has also negatively affected our region. Really, our whole state. Sadly, many of the major fires seem to have been still caused by power lines. These outages have directly impacted hundreds of thousands in California. Hopefully, either through an agreement between the powers-that-be and the utility companies or something else, these outages can be dealt with in a far better manner. Check with you local power company for details if you may be affected.
Some good news though. Despite all else that has gone on, the Metro A Line (formerly the Metro Blue Line) is now back up and running. It has been mostly shut down over the last year to rehabilitate the track and do some other upgrades. So far the results are mixed, but things do indeed look better. I look forward to riding it soon and seeing what the changes looks like first hand. Construction also continues on the many other rail lines in Los Angeles with live testing finally underway on the new Crenshaw Line.
On a personal front, I’ve been a bit disabled of sorts lately. It would seem I have a sciatica problem which has been quite painful at times. As a result, I haven’t been able to be as mobile as usual, so trips to Los Angeles have been a bit delayed. I will recover and be back at it soon enough. I very much look forward to my next LA trip, as they are usually a lot of fun. So much to see, so much to do.
I also have a backlog of photos to post, including a lot of photos of the fault rupture and some building damage from the Mw7.1 Ridgecrest Earthquake. Those and more will be posted soon.
Thank you all for reading, following, and supporting this site.