Imagine wagons struggling up a steep incline. That’s how it used to be at Newhall Pass. Today, we stand at a place of vital passage. Newhall Pass is a low mountain pass in Los Angeles County. It separates the Santa Susana Mountains from the San Gabriel Mountains.
Historically, this spot knew other names. Fremont Pass and San Fernando Pass were common. Beale’s Cut also marked this area. Eventually, it became Newhall Pass. The name honors Henry Newhall. He was a significant businessman in the 19th century.
Catalan explorer Gaspar de Portolá visited here in 1769. Yet, Newhall’s influence secured the pass its current name. Newhall Pass provides a key link. It joins the San Fernando Valley to the Santa Clarita Valley. It is a main entry point to the Greater Los Angeles area.
Weather here can be extreme. Summer brings triple-digit heat. Winter sometimes sees below-freezing temperatures. Snow is rare, occurring from December to February. When it does snow, traffic snarls and accidents happen. La Niña and El Niño events can cause heavy flooding here. Wildfires have occasionally closed the pass and State Route 14.
Newhall Pass was first named Fremont Pass. This honored General John C. Frémont. People thought he passed here in 1847 to sign the Treaty of Cahuenga. However, he actually traveled slightly east on El Camino Viejo.
In 1853, Henry Clay Wiley saw an opportunity. He installed a windlass atop Fremont Pass. This sped up the ascent and descent. Wiley also built a tavern, hotel, and stable nearby. In 1854, Sanford and Cyrus Lyon bought Wiley’s operation. It became known as Lyons Station. Phineas Banning also obtained the business of supplying Fort Tejon.
Charles H. Brindley, Andrés Pico, and James R. Vineyard improved the pass. They created a deep, slot-like road cut. California awarded them a twenty-year contract. They maintained the turnpike and collected tolls. This cut tamed “San Fernando Mountain.” It was the biggest obstacle on the Fort Tejon Road. Butterfield Overland Mail used it directly. This stagecoach ran between St. Louis and San Francisco.
In 1861, President Abraham Lincoln appointed Edward Beale. He became the federal Surveyor General of California and Nevada. Beale challenged General Pico’s loyalty. In 1863, Beale gained the right to collect tolls. For twenty years, it was known as Beale’s Cut.
Beale’s Cut eventually reached 90 feet deep. It served until the Newhall Tunnel opened in 1910. Beale’s Cut was a popular filming location. Silent western movies often featured it. John Ford and D. W. Griffith were frequent users. Tom Mix supposedly jumped over the pass in Ford’s 1923 film. Though some stuntmen claimed credit. Some think it was a special effect.
Today, Beale’s Cut still exists. It is no longer passable by cars. The Northridge Earthquake in 1994 caused a partial collapse. It’s now about 30 feet deep. You can spot it from Sierra Highway. Look one mile north of The Old Road and Sierra Highway intersection. Find the first bridge under SR 14. Beale’s Cut lies northeast of a stone marker. It is fenced off and hard to see.
In 1910, the Newhall Auto Tunnel opened. It was 435 feet long. It sat a quarter-mile northwest of Beale’s Cut. Two-way traffic was slow due to its 17.5-foot width.
California Division of Highways replaced the tunnel. Work began in July 1938. They removed rock to create a four-lane highway. It was first Highway 6, then Highway 14. Now, it is Sierra Highway. The cut for the tunnel is west of today’s Highway 14. It’s east of Gates King Open Space.
The pass carries Henry Newhall’s name. He came from Saugus, Massachusetts during the Gold Rush in 1850. He bought vast properties. The most significant was the 46,460-acre Rancho San Francisco. He gave Southern Pacific a right-of-way. They built a town named Newhall. He named the first station Saugus.
Newhall Pass remains a vital route. Interstate 5, State Route 14, Sierra Highway, Foothill Boulevard, and San Fernando Road all pass through here.
The San Fernando Tunnel is also nearby. Metrolink’s Antelope Valley Line and Union Pacific use it. The 6,940-foot tunnel took a year and a half to build. Over 1,500 Chinese laborers worked on it. They started at the south end in March 1875. Cave-ins were common due to water and oil.
The north end of the tunnel shifted. Oil-soaked rock caused cave-ins near Lyons Station Stagecoach Stop. Workers met on July 14, 1876. The bores were only a half-inch out of line. The first train passed through on August 12, 1876.
Newhall Pass has always been a place of movement. It’s a testament to California’s growth. From stagecoaches to trains, it continues to connect us.