Before our Time: Today’s news; tomorrow’s history …

November 1957: Idyllwild had never seen anything like it. According to the Town Crier, the village was “a mass of uprooted trees, torn roofs,...

Before Our Time: A long history in Fuller Mill …

One of my favorite bits of mountain lore is the sad saga of Charles Beverly Hughes. Eldest son of a clergyman in the mountains of...

Before Our Time: Strawberry Plaza’s birth was controversial …

I appreciate the walkable convenience of one-stop shopping at the post office, food markets, bank, pharmacy and library, all situated in and around Strawberry...

Before Our Time: Resident-friendly development of Idyllwild …

As Idyllwild took shape and acquired its unique culture between 1920 and 1960, three developers played central roles. Two are well-known. Claudius Lee Emerson controlled...

Before Our Time: You don’t have to live in Idyllwild to leave your mark...

Some 32 summer camps have now been documented in the Idyllwild area since 1920. But Idyllwild Institute-Fiesta stands out for its oddly nondescript name. This...

Before Our Time: The history behind family mementos …

Not long ago, my wife was cleaning up an old framed, hand-tinted photograph of a nondescript desert scene, a piece we’d inherited from my...

Before our Time: Nostalgic for snow storms?

When snow is as scarce as it’s been for the past 20 months, long-time Hill residents begin to pine for those old-time storms, “when...

Before Out Time: Churches eventually become part of Idyllwild …

Amid a profusion of religious ceremony during the Christmas season, it may come as a surprise that throughout its first half-century, Idyllwild had not...

Before our Time: Sawmills were common in the forest …

Between 1875 and 1900 loggers and sawmills were the dominant human activity in the San Jacinto Mountains. They appeared first on Indian Creek in...

Before Our Time: Before the Creekstone Inn? Food …

The Creekstone Inn has dominated the four-way stop called Fern Valley Corners since 1947; but its current identity, as Chris Singer’s elegant, 20-year-old tourist...
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