Saugus was first named
Newhall by
Henry Mayo Newhall, who bought the eastern half of the Del Valle family's
Rancho San Francisco from a series of speculators. After he moved the town south in 1879, he renamed the original site for his birthplace,
Saugus, Massachusetts. The Saugus Cafe was established in 1886 on
San Fernando Road (now Railroad Avenue). It was the oldest continuously operating restaurant in Los Angeles County. The
Saugus Speedway first opened in 1939, initially known as Bonelli Stadium. It was the venue for several
NASCAR races before its closure in 1995. The Saugus Speedway continues to be the venue for the Santa Clarita Swap Meet. In 1987, the city of Santa Clarita was incorporated, encompassing Saugus and the neighboring communities of
Canyon Country,
Newhall, and part of
Valencia. On November 14, 2019,
a mass shooting took place at
Saugus High School. That morning, Nathaniel Berhow, a 16-year-old junior at the school, used a semi-automatic pistol to shoot five other students, killing two of them, before turning his gun on himself. The shooting lasted 16 seconds. Survivors were reunited with their parents at nearby
Central Park, and injured students were sent to
Henry Mayo Hospital in Valencia and
Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in
Mission Hills. The shooter succumbed to his self-inflicted injuries the following day in the hospital. A vigil honoring the victims was held at Central Park the next day. ==Education==