Oak of the Golden Dream
If you head north and east out of Los Angeles toward Santa Clarita on Highway 14, you pass one of those historical marker signs that declares, "Oak of the Golden Dream, this exit." Or something like that. So, since we were on a long leash, we got off at the next exit, turned around and drove back to see the marker and its story.
Off the freeway, there was another sign directing us up Placerita Canyon Road for another mile and a half. Driving up and down the road did not reveal a historical marker. However, there is a county park up there -- Placerita Canyon Natural Area, I think it's called -- and I thought maybe we ought to see if history was lurking there.
Sure enough, inside the park there was a sign pointing visitors up a sidewalk fancifully named the Heritage Trail to the oak in question -- though still no hint as to why the tree might be historic. A short stroll brought us to the oak, enclosed by a rail fence, and the requisite official historical marker.
So the story is that back in March 1842, someone not named James Marshall made California's first authenticated discovery of gold near the oak; legend has it that this individual, named Francisco Lopez, had been napping beneath the tree and had a dream wherein he found himself surrounded by gold. When he awoke, he picked some wild onions nearby that had some small gold nuggets tangled in the roots.
I'll be honest: the site is underwhelming, though there's kind of a cool nature center at the park that's worth checking out if you stop here. There's also this: The Santa Clarita Valley Board of Realtors has placed its own historical marker -- here -- at the site of the Golden Dream.
Oak of the Golden Dream
Francisco Lopez made California's first authenticated gold
discovery on March 9, 1842, while gathering wild onions
near an oak tree in Placerita Canyon. He found gold
particles clinging to the roots of the bulbs. The San Fernando
placers and nearby San Feliciano Canyon were worked
by Sonoran miners using panning, sluicing and dry washing
methods. Lopez's find predated James Marshall's strike at
Sutter's Mill by six years.
California registered historical landmark No. 168.
First registered March 6, 1935. Plaque placed by the State
Department of Parks and Recreation in cooperation with
the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society and Platrix
Chapter No. 2, E Clampus Vitus, November 15, 1992.