Lyons Station, the Railroad Tunnel, and the Birth of California Oil
Points of Interest with Philip Scorza

‘Points of Interest,’ with Philip Scorza, takes viewers back to 1875 through the words of an anonymous Los Angeles Daily Herald Newspaper reporter who chronicled a two-day visit to what we now call the Santa Clarita Valley.

At that time, the town of Newhall did not yet exist, and the region was little known to outsiders. The reporter’s journey began at San Fernando, where the railroad ended, then continued by stagecoach through Beale’s Cut to Lyons Station. It included vivid accounts of the rugged mountain road, the station’s role as a post office, tavern, and telegraph hub, and the early railroad and oil explorations that would soon transform the valley.

Scorza is joined by historian Alan Pollack, President of the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society; Mike Jarel, who worked more than 40 years with the Southern Pacific Railroad; and Evan Decker, a former board member of the Historical Society. Together they trace the complicated ownership of Lyon Station, the Herculean effort of blasting a railroad tunnel through the mountains without modern machinery, and the dramatic rise of Mentryville and California’s oil industry.

Viewers learn how Sanford Lyon, who owned the station for just one year, left a lasting name on local history; how crews of Chinese laborers completed the 6,940-foot tunnel with remarkable precision; and how Pico No. 4, California’s first commercially successful oil well, operated for more than a century, sparking the state’s oil boom.

The episode closes by connecting the 1875 reporter’s observations to landmarks that still stand today, from the Pioneer Oil Refinery to Eternal Valley Cemetery—reminders of a “much mystified section” that became the foundation for the City of Santa Clarita.

Following is an excerpt from “Two Days in and Around Lyon Station” (Los Angeles Daily Herald, March 28, 1875):
“In making the trip from San Fernando, the present terminus of the railroad, to the station some nine miles further north, we occupied a snug berth on the top of the telegraph stage line, and never have we enjoyed a ride better. The night air was cool and exhilarating … The moon and stars out in full brilliancy rendered every object along the line almost as distinctly visible as by daylight. No wonder that we fell into a poetical humor and saw scenery where otherwise it would have been simply mountains and moonshine.”

Written & Hosted by Philip Scorza. Filmed & Produced 2024–2025.