Previously housed on local elementary school campuses, the 7th and 8th grades were added to Hart in the 1948-49 school year, making it "William S. Hart Union Junior and Senior High School." Hart was the Santa Clarita Valley's only junior and senior high school at the time, serving students from Newhall to Castaic to Mint Canyon (Canyon Country) and all points between.

The Class of 1949 was Hart's first graduating class, but this was its second yearbook. A paperback 1948 Tomahawk yearbook was published when the members of the Class of '49 were juniors. Thus, the 1949 Tomahawk is "Volume 2" (pg. 1). It was printed by Yearbook House of Kansas City, Mo. (pg. 132), with leather binding by Smith Crafted Chicago.

Billed as the "Gold Centennial Edition," the 1949 Tomahawk drew a connection between the famous '49ers of the 1849 California Gold Rush and the famous '49ers of Hart High a century later (Foreword, page 5). Highlighted are the Oak of the Golden Dream (page 4) and the plaque (page 2) pointing out the discovery by Francisco Lopez in Placerita Canyon that predated the 1849 Gold Rush by a number of years.

This particular yearbook belonged to Philip Hoskins, a member of the Class of 1949. It was donated to the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society in April 2017 by Phil's son Scott Hoskins, Hart Class of 1977. Phil is the second "P. Hoskins" shown on page 33 herein; the first "P. Hoskins" is his twin brother, Paul Hoskins.

Some items of note:

• The winter of 1949 was harsh by Southern California standards. The storm that started around noon Monday, Jan. 10, 1949, produced 2 to 6 inches of snow in the Newhall Pass and blanketed L.A.-area beaches in powder for the first time since January 1932. It lasted for several days, and school was let out for most or all of the week (page 8).
• The original five-member school board (page 13) included representatives of the various elementary districts that "united" to form the high school school district (that's what "union" means in the name). Elected March 9, 1945, they were Tom M. Frew Jr. and S.S. Donaldson, representing the Newhall School District; Mary Bonelli, representing Saugus; Mildred Gilmour, representing Castaic; and Charles Brown, representing Mint Canyon and Sulphur Springs. All were current members of their respective elementary school boards with the exception of Frew, who had retired after serving as its president for several years.
• Following the '49er theme, the cover shows a gold prospector, and Supertendent-Principal Lester C. Dalbey is identified (pg. 14) as "Our Chief Miner," meaning gold miner. The student council voted to be the "Indians" (before the school itself was named for Hart), but the "miner" idea was not forgotten. The SCV's first separate junior high school, Placerita, opened in 1961, and its students became the "Miners" and adopted a gold prospector as a mascot.
• George Harris was promoted to Hart principal in 1949-50 as Dalbey prepared to wrap up a 40-plus year career in education. Here, in 1948-49, Harris is principal of the adult evening school (pg. 17), which would become Golden Oak Adult School. Simultaneously, he teaches social science and math on a part-time basis (pg. 20).
• The tough-looking bunch on page 26 is the ASB Campus Patrol. Their job is to "see that conduct in buildings and on grounds is such that discredit is not brought to our school."
• Apparently the underclassmen didn't warrant individual photos. Sixty-nine members of the Class of '49 sat for potraits, but the other grades made do with group shots.
• Today's students of both and variable genders do magical things on the interwebs with gizmos straight out of Buck Rogers. In 1948-49, Hart High's Future Farmers learned to plant lettuce and care for rabbits (pg. 66) while the girls in Miss McCulley's sewing class learned to make clothes (pg. 81).
• Hart competed in the Ventura League. It's doubtful the Indians won any football games in 1948-49 (or they'd say so), but the varsity basketball team posted its first-ever league win when it beat Antelope Valley (pg. 96). The baseball team won a pair of non-league games (pg. 104), and the track team took pride in besting Oxnard and Fillmore (pg. 105).
• The annual officer installation of the Lettergirls was held at the French Village (pg. 113), which was owned by Judge and Mrs. C.M. MacDougall and the Cone family of Saugus Cafe fame (pg. 127).
• The celebrity autographs on page 116 — Rosalind Russell, Cary Grant, Shirley Temple, Myrna Loy, etc. — are printed facsimiles.
• Are there cigarettes on the shelf behind the salesman in the student store (pg. 117)? The resolution of the original printed photo isn't quite high enough to tell.
• Bonelli Ranch gets a shout-out from the student body (pg. 121); local advertisers (pp. 121-129) include Bermite Powder Co., Newhall Plumbing & Electric Co., Ranchers Supply (Castaic), Republic Supply Co. (Newhall Ranch), M&N Market (Newhall), Hilburn's Funeral Chapel, Bennett Murray Inc. contractors (Newhall), J.T. Salmond Union Oil Products, Ludlow's Service Station (Newhall), Mary E. Erwin insurance (Newhall), Carrell Chevrolet, Hubbard Dry Goods, Newhall Pharmacy, Newhall Refining Co., Clymore Motors (Ford), Tip's Restaurant (Castaic Junction), Lulu Belle Dress Shop (Newhall), Howdy Cleaners, Hawley's Drug Store (Newhall), The American Theater, French Village, Bob Wilke Real Estate, Newhall Shoe Store, Byron Y. Varner accountant (Newhall), Hunsaker's Jewelers (Newhall), Losier's Mens Store, Aitken and Kidder water well supplies (Newhall), McIntyre's Gift Shop, Heap Stationery Store (Newhall), Western Auto (Newhall), Peggy's Flower Shop (Newhall), Dr. E.C. Schondorf chiropractor (Newhall), Newhall 5-10 Store, The Newhall Signal, Roy P. Crocker Ranch (Sand Canyon), T.M. Frew blacksmith, Newhall Community Hospital staff, Hewitt Poultry Ind.
• Thirteen students were with Lester Dalbey all the way from Kindergarten (at the K-8 Newhall School where Dalbey arrived in 1930) through 12th grade at Hart (pg. 130). They were Neil Aitken, John Barnhill, Gwen Booth (later Gallion), Ralph Brown, Maurice Doty, Bill Frownfelter, Bob Green, Martha Hitchcock, Nancy Kessinger, Harry Kidder, Laney Kidder, Marjorie McIntyre and Betty Smith.