King's Station facts for kids

King's Station, also known as Moore's or Hollandsville, was an important stop for stagecoaches in southern California between 1858 and 1861. It was part of the Butterfield Overland Mail route, which was a famous mail and passenger service across the country.

The building at King's Station was made of adobe (a type of sun-dried brick). It also served other travelers using the Stockton–Los Angeles Road, a major wagon route. The station was used for many years until it was destroyed in 1928.

Where Was King's Station?

King's Station was located in a lower part of San Francisquito Canyon. This area is in the Sierra Pelona Mountains.

It was about 10 miles (16 km) south of another station called Widow Smith's Station, which was near San Francisquito Pass. King's Station was also about 12 miles (19 km) north of Lyons Station. Lyons Station is in what is now the Newhall area of Santa Clarita.

Today, the exact spot where King's Station stood is along San Francisquito Canyon Road. It's about 2 miles (3.2 km) north of where that road meets Copper Hill Drive.

History of King's Station

The area around King's Station was first known for a watering place on San Francisquito Creek. In 1854, this spot was called "Moore's." It was a key stop on the Stockton–Los Angeles Road wagon route, connecting the San Fernando Valley and the San Joaquin Valley.

The Butterfield Overland Mail Route

By 1858, the station was known as King's Station. This was when a reporter from the New York Herald, Waterman L. Ormsby, traveled through on the Butterfield Overland Mail route. The Butterfield Overland Mail was a very important service that carried mail and passengers across the United States.

In 1860, the station was sometimes called Hollandsville. King's Station was 12 miles (19 km) north of Lyons Station (also known as Hart's Station) in Santa Clarita. It was also 12 miles (19 km) south of Widow Smith's Station (which had other names like Clayton's Station or Major Gordon's Station) in the upper part of San Francisquito Canyon.

The Raggio Ranch and Hollands

Around 1880, a man named Charles Raggio bought the ranch and the old adobe station building from the Perea family. After this, the area became known as the Raggio Ranch.

Later, in 1894, the adobe building on the Raggio Ranch even served as a post office. This post office served the small community nearby, which was called Hollands or Hollandsville.

The St. Francis Dam Flood

In March 1928, a huge flood happened. This flood was caused by the collapse of the St. Francis Dam, which was located upstream in San Francisquito Canyon. The powerful flood waters washed away the old stagecoach station. It also destroyed the Hollands settlement and the Raggio Ranch buildings.

Today, the only sign of where the station was located is the Ruiz family cemetery. This cemetery survived because it was just above the flood's highest point. The station itself had been located just below the cemetery. The Ruiz Family Cemetery is still on private land at 29615 North San Francisquito Canyon Road in Santa Clarita. A mobile home was placed on the property in 1963, below the cemetery.

The Raggio Ranch was rebuilt after the flood and stayed with the Raggio family until after the 1940s.