Before Our Time: A memorable time: 1946-2016 — 70 years …
2016 marks the 70th anniversary of the most extraordinary year in Idyllwild’s history. 1946 saw the birth of such landmark institutions as the Town...
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: 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: 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: Memories of Keen Camp and Tahquitz Lodge …
Our beloved Strawberry Valley hasn’t always been the main tourist attraction in the San Jacinto Mountains. Between 1915 and 1924, the Idyllwild Inn had...
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...
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: Sometimes history needs correcting …
Fifteen years ago this month, a group of local residents created the Idyllwild Area Historical Society, dedicated to collecting, preserving and sharing evidence of...
Before Our Time: Immigrant helps preserve the mountain …
After I mentioned the George Thomas Cedar last month, a reader asked about another local landmark, the A.C. Lovekin Cedar. Though not so old...
Before Our Time: Desert Sun School
For nearly a century teaching and learning have been major activities in and around Idyllwild. Among the schools and camps responsible, one of the...