Past Tense: Sept. 20, 2012

60 years ago – 1952
Enrollment when Idyllwild Elementary School opened in the fall was 72 students.

55 years ago – 1957
Deer season opened on a quiet note with 68 bucks taken on the first weekend. District Ranger John Gillman reported the opener was one of the quietest on the Forest Service record.

50 years ago – 1962
No measurable rainfall was recorded in Idyllwild all summer long.

40 years ago – 1972
A Piper Cub crash landed in the mountains between Idyllwild and Hemet but the pilot walked away uninjured.

35 years ago – 1977
Hill residents were seeing a lot of logging vehicles. Golden Bear Logging Company had been hauling away thinned trees for two months. The company created the Strawberry Fuelbreak.

30 years ago – 1982
Following a long-distance telephone outage, several local residents expressed concern about the Hill being cut off from emergency services. Because of this concern, Idyllwild residents were told by an official at General Telephone that a direct telephone line to Hemet would be installed at the Idyllwild Fire Station in case of such emergencies.

25 years ago – 1987
Immediate water conservation measures were requested by the Idyllwild Water District because of a dramatic decrease in water availability. Customers were asked to restrict their use of water in irrigating plants and washing their cars and driveways.

20 years ago – 1992
Mike Hamilton, University of California biologist and director of the James San Jacinto Mountain Reserve, returned from a three-week trip to Russia and the Ukraine where he helped map the area of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant disaster. He also helped set up a computerized educational system for government and city officials about the levels of radiation.

15 years ago – 1997
Idyllwild Chamber of Commerce members selected a new director of Town Hall. Lori Swenck was selected to start her position on Oct. 1.

10 years ago – 2002
CDF named Kevin Turner division chief in charge of prefire management for Riverside County. He had previously been assistant chief of the Bautista division.

5 years ago – 2007
The Riverside County Board of Supervisors appointed Stanley Sniff to succeed Sheriff Bob Doyle, who has announced his retirement.

1 year ago – 2011
Local real estate agent Trischa Clark was selected as a new director of the Fern Valley Water District. She was to take her seat on the board in December.