Black Star Canyon
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Black Star Canyon is a remote mountain canyon in the Santa Ana Mountains, located in eastern Orange County, California. It is a popular destination for mountain bikers due to its wild scenery and the fact that its main access road is closed to automobile traffic.
History
Black Star Canyon is perhaps best known to historians as an important archaeological site as much information concerning the daily lives of the Gabrielino or Tongva people has been uncovered through studies of artifacts found in the canyon. It is known that many of the native Tongva people fled to the mountains in the summer, searching not only for relief from the heat, but also for acorns, their main source of food, which were easy to find among the canyon's many mature oak trees. It is very likely that the settlement - located in the upper part of the canyon - was inhabited for only part of the year. The site of the settlement is now California Historical Landmark number 217. Indian settlements were very sporadic, as the grizzly bear population of the Santa Anas was comparatively high for such a small mountain range [1]. Signs of Indian habitation, such as the pothole rocks, are found only in canyons, such as Black Star or Bell Canyons, where grizzly populations were known to have been low. The canyon to the north, Fremont, has just as many oak trees and forage sources as Black Star, with no archaeological traces of any human habitation, likely because the canyon was home to many bears.
The canyon is celebrated in local lore for a fabled Indian massacre, said to have been perpetrated by a company of Spanish conquistadors. In truth, the actual historical event, according to oral history, involved an armed conflict between early American fur trappers and a group of Gabrielino Indians in the year 1831[2].
This was not the only time the canyon would find itself the scene of a murder. In 1899, long after the canyon had been settled by both Anglo-American and Mexican homesteaders, a shooting occurred at Hidden Ranch that would forever change Orange County’s early political scene. James Gregg was shot, but Supreme Judge Ballard gave the defendants their freedom in contrast to public beliefs. This cost him his re-election[3].
Under Spanish, and later Mexican rule, the canyon was called Cañada de los Indios. Much of grassy foothill terrain to the west (across Irvine Lake) was part of the expansive Mexican land grant of "Rancho Lomas de Santiago (Ranch of Saint James' Hills)". The rancho later fell into the hands of the pioneer and horticulturalist William Wolfskill, and finally James Irvine, before becoming part of the Cleveland National Forest in the late 1880s. Also around the end of the 19th Century, it was the site of a short-lived coal mining operation called Black Star Coal Mining Company in 1879, which gave the canyon its current name. The coal was originally dug from a shallow pit on the hill just east of the canyon mouth, and sold by the wagonload as early as 1876 by canyon residents. While the operation lasted, six to ten tons of medium- to low-grade coal were extracted each day from the mine's 900 feet of tunnel. From there, mule teams hauled the cargo to Anaheim or Los Angeles by wagon. However, a survey was run of the mine in the late 1870s, previously thought to be operating on government land, and it was found that the land actually belonged to the Irvine Ranch. Promptly losing interest in the mine, James Irvine sold the operation back to its former owners, destroying any possibility of profit. The Black Star mining operation was later replaced by the Santa Clara Mine, a more successful enterprise that sustained the town of Carbondale (once existed at the mouth of Silverado canyon), before it was taken over by AT&SF railroad. Traces of the Black Star mining operation can still be found, including rusted mining equipment, abandoned shafts, and piles of low-grade coal scattered about the floor of the canyon (similar to those found in Fremont to the north). Today, public access to the canyon's upper reaches in the Cleveland National Forest is currently allowed via a county easement through the lower section of the canyon (mostly private property), though County officials do not maintain the road.
Stories & Legends
Black Star Canyon's mysterious nature and its colorful, often dark history has given rise to a whole host of urban legends and ghost stories throughout the Orange County area. The air of mystery surrounding the canyon is further enhanced by its eerie silence and being prone to sudden gusts of wind (both due to its unique geography). Though historically inaccurate, one of the most popular ghost tales, which originally appeared on the Internet in 1995 and later published in the book Weird California, tells of a group of friends who witnessed the ghosts of the Spanish conquistadors marching down the hill in the form of small, black shadowy figures [4]. Many of the more popular legends have sprung from the fact that Black Star Canyon was the meeting place of a Satanic cult in the 1980s, which is often misstated as having been the Ku Klux Klan due to the numerous hikers' reports of seeing distant bonfires in the canyon. There are currently satanic cults in the area. Other stories include the canyon being haunted by a demon called "Black Star", being home to extraterrestrials and/or a secret military installation, and being guarded by Indian spirits. The oldest ghost story involving the canyon came from the Spanish, and involved the canyon being haunted by a banshee called "La Llorona" (The Wailer), who was said to live in a well and have the head of a horse[5].
The beginning of the canyon is marked with signs which declare the road as private, which is half-true since the lower part of the road is privately maintained, although the county and, therefore the forest service, have an easement of public right-of-passage on the road, and have had that right for many decades. As is true with all wilderness areas, it is recommended that those exploring the canyon do not travel alone, especially at night.
References
- ^ [1976, A Grizzly Introduction to the Santa Ana Mountains, J. Sleeper]
- ^ [1930, Shadows of Old Saddleback, T.E. Stephenson]
- ^ 1930, Shadows of Old Saddleback, T.E. Stephenson]
- ^ Spanish Ghosts
- ^ http://theshadowlands.net/places/california1.htm The Shadowlands