Dewitt Canyon Name

1886 Plat map of the Occidental Asphalt Company on the Alameda Oil Mine (Lot No. 44). This map show that the Little Moore Canyon is a tributary of Dewitt Canyon which makes sense if you consider that it was on the Moore claim and Dewitt was on the Dewitt claim. See larger version here.

Dewitt Canyon was named for Alexander Dewitt. Not much is known about Dewitt. He was born in New York about 1829 (Great Register of LA County). The 1860 US Census showed Dewitt in Yreka Township, Siskiyou County in northern California. He was listed as a miner with a personal estate of $1000. Gold had been discovered there in 1851.

On April 10, 1865, Dewitt filed a preemption claim (only for agriculture and grazing) in the canyon (NE 1/4 of Section 7, R3N T16W, SBM). Soon after that he (along with O.P. Robbins and R. Sackett)) would file a petroleum claim in the location records of the newly formed Los Angeles Asphaltum and Petroleum Mining District, which was officially set up on March 6, 1865. As the discoverer, he was allowed two 1000 sq. ft. claims. The other two men had one 1000 sq. ft. claim each. This claim covered most of the same land that his preemption claim did. Adjacent to Dewitt's claim (see oil history page) was John Moore's claim. In fact, part of Moore's claim included the west fork of the creek that went through Dewitt's claimed.

On September 18, 1865, the Dewitt Lead was relocated by John Moore, W.W. Hudson, Patrick Kearney, and Joseph Rice for noncompliance of the laws of the San Fernando Petroleum Mining District (SFPMD Location Notices, Book A, pp. 23-25). Their description of the claim was "...commencing at a point in the center of the canon 220 feet south from the camp of A. Dewitt, thence running down said canon four thousand feet so that the center of the canon shall be the center of the claims, as near as may be, and extending five hundred feet each side of the canon...". Now, John Moore (and his partners) was the owner of both claims.

After Dewitt allowed his oil claim to expire, he began mining in the Gleason mining district up Soledad Canyon. Newspaper notices in 1870 list George Gleason, Sanford Lyon, Alexander DeWitt, and George J. Clarke, representing the "Lyon Mining Co.," applying for a patent on the Lyon Lode in Township 4N, Range 12W, San Bernardino Meridian.

After that, Dewitt disappears. The 1880 US Census for Thurston, Washington does list an Alexander Dewitt, age 53, farmer, born in New York, but whether he is our Dewitt, it is hard to tell.

The following maps show how the name of the canyon went back and forth between Dewitt and Little Moore Canyon. Today, it is only known as Dewitt Canyon. However, based on an old plat map, since Moore's original claim included the west fork of Dewitt's claim, I believe that the Moore's west fork became known as Little Moore Canyon. The main canyon and up the east fork became Dewitt Canyon.

The claims of John Moore and Alexander Dewitt. Moore's claim included the parts of both Wickham Canyon and the west fork of Dewitt Canyon. The west fork became known as Little Moore Canyon although many old maps use Little Moore for all of Dewitt Canyon.

The Arcadia Oil Mine was the name of the claim when it was relocated in 1884 (and patented in 1888) by the Occidental Asphalt Company, owned by Charles N. Felton (the president of Pacific Coast Oil Company) and Lloyd Tevis (one of PCO's co-founders). So in reality, PCO owned the claims and, with the patent, the actual land. (1900 US Suveyor General's Office Diagram of Section 1 of Township No 3 North Range No 17 West of San Bernardino Meridian)

Dewitt Canyon indicated on part of 1876 US General Land Office plat map of Township 3 North, Range 16 West, San Bernardino Meridian.

Dewitt Canyon on Camulos USGS topo map from 1903.

Just Dewitt Canyon shown on map in Petroleum in Southern California, Bulleton 63, by Paul Prutzman, California State Mining Bureau, 1913. The Arcadia Oil Mine and the Camulos Oil Mine were the names of the claims when they were relocated in 1884 (and patented in 1888) by the Occidental Asphalt Company, owned by Charles N. Felton (the president of Pacific Coast Oil Company) and Lloyd Tevis (one of PCO's co-founders). So, in reality, PCO owned the claims and, with the patent, the actual land.

Dewitt Canyon on USGS Newhall Quad topo map of 1933.

Little Moore and Big Moore from the USGS Newhall Quad topo map of the 1939 revision of the 1933 map. Who knows why thenames were changed for the revision. By now, the Wickhams were living in Big Moore Canyon. Eldon Wickham had received an ownership patent from the government in 1937. It was now Wickham Canyon.

Newhall USGS topo map of 1940 (surveyed in 1925). Little Moore Canyon and Big Moore Canyon.

Pico USGS topo map of 1940 also shows Little Moore and Big Moore Canyons.

Dewitt and Wickham Canyons. 1952 Oat Mountain USGS topo map.