Mentryville Historic Photos
This is the earliest photo that I have seen of Mentryville. The view is toward the north-east. There is no Pico Cottage yet. There is a small house in the upper middle of the photo. It seems to be in the same location as the schoolhouse, but the schoolhouse was positioned differently. This photo is also in the Barbara Cook Collection at the SCVHS with a caption on the back saying that it was taken before the schoolhouse was built. If that is correct, then this photo was taken between 1883 (the year the large tank was built) and 1885 (the year the schoolhouse was built). This image is also shown in The Pico Ghost Camp - Part 1 by A.B. Perkins and in his grand-daughter Maggi Perkins' book "Images of America - Newhall". Jerry Reynolds also uses it in his "Pico Canyon Chronicles" book. His caption states:
"Mentryville in 1883
The Felton School stands alone, upper center. Across the road to the right is the Miller home below storage tank. Then comes Pardee, Shyrock, and Cam Lewis houses. Below in the trees is Alex Mentry's second home. In front of his residence are croquet courts (left). Partially hidden by the hill on the left side of the road is Matt McCormack's home. He was Asst. Supt. of Pico. Next above resided J.A. Floyd and then Walton Young."
Copyright Note: This image is NOT in the public domain and is protected by the copyright laws of the United States.
Image from California State University Dominguez Hills Archives & Special Collections. Used by permission.
The hills in the background exactly match the hills in the above old photo. Due to the lush plant growth where I'm trying to take this photo from, I can't get to the exact elevation. There were a lot of buildings where the parking lot is and in the area where the tank and trailer are now. (4/22/2011)
Going higher, we now see that the little building in the old photo was close to the schoolhouse. It is not certain that it was the original schoolhouse. We can now also see where the Pico Cottage is, although it is hidden by trees. The old photo shows nothing there, not even a tree. (4/22/2011)
Another view looking down the canyon (towards the east). On the back, this photo is dated 1898. Based on the size of the tree in front of the the Pico Cottage, it is earlier then the next photos.
Copyright Note: This image is NOT in the public domain and was used by permission of the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society, Barbara Sitzman Cook Collection.
This photo (view toward west) shows the Pico Cottage. The trees are much more evident. The big tank is still there and there is another tank on top of the hill (sometimes called Tank hill) in the upper right. You can see the road that goes up the hill diagonally to that tank. In the far distance, just to the left of the tank on top of the hill, is PCO Hill. You can just faintly see what looks like derricks on that hill.
Photo used by permission of the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society
Very similar to the above photo except taken from slightly higher. The big oil tank seems to be as big as the "big" house. PCO Hill is now clearer and you easily see many oil well derricks. The shed structure on this side of the barn now takes up about half of that face compared to the previous photo. Photo date no later then March of 1900 (because it was in the March 30, 1900, issue of Pacific Oil Reporter magazine).
Copyright Note: This image is NOT in the public domain and is protected by the copyright laws of the United States.
American Petroleum Institute Photograph and Film Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Here is a close up of the Pico Cottage, from the previous photo. Note the man on the first story roof and the three chimneys
Copyright Note: This image is NOT in the public domain and is protected by the copyright laws of the United States.
American Petroleum Institute Photograph and Film Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Now the big tank is gone and the trees and bushes are bigger then in the previous photo. Also, the shed in front of the barn in the lower left part of the photo has been widened.
Photo used by permission of the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society
Mentryville in 1918. The trees and bushes have grown a lot since the previous photo was taken. From the Standard Oil Bulletin of August, 1918.
1935 movie still from the Laramie Kid starring Tom Tyler.
The barn in 1953. Now there is an entrance gate.
Copyright Note: This image is NOT in the public domain and is protected by the copyright laws of the United States.
Historical Society of Southern California Collection - Charles C. Puck Collection. Courtesy of The Huntington Library, San Marino, California
Used by permission.
About the same view on 10-13-2021.
View of school house, on the right, and the dance hall, on the left, from about 1925.
Photo used by permission of the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society.
School house before it was restored. Photo taken by Barbara Sitzman around 1958.
Copyright Note: This image is NOT in the public domain and was used by permission of the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society, Barbara Sitzman Cook Collection.
About the same view on 10-13-2021. No chimney after the restoration.
Another view of school house before it was restored. Photo taken by Barbara Sitzman around 1958. No dance house.
Copyright Note: This image is NOT in the public domain and was used by permission of the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society, Barbara Sitzman Cook Collection.
About the same view on 10-13-2021.
Note the car parked in the bottom middle. This photo was taken by A.B. Perkins in 1961 for his Pico Ghost Camp story in the Signal of early 1962 (which is available on the main Pico Canyon page). Darryl Manzer was with him at the time.
Mentryville on 11/26/2011.