Caitlin Gaudreault-Henninger holds her mystery bag in this photo, published Sept. 24, 1987, during the alphabet share period in the moring kindergarten class at Idyllwild Elementary School. Teacher Lori McKenzie (now Maxwell) assisted Caitlin in kicking off the alphabet share program for this week. File photo

60 years ago – 1952
Extra game wardens were assigned to the mountains as deer season opened. A record crowd of hunters was anticipated.

 

55 years ago – 1957
Don and Thelma Frey, Cay Long, Jim Long, Paul Voss, and Chuck and Jo Slaback completed training and qualified as ham radio operators.

50 years ago – 1962
At the end of the first day of kindergarten, a disappointed little student complained to her parents, “We didn’t even learn to write.”

45 years ago – 1967
University Place (likely the McKinney Lane area), near the USC-ISOMATA (now Idyllwild Arts Academy) campus, was the first building tract in Idyllwild to be approved for Federal Housing Administration (FHA) financing, according to builder John McKinney.

40 years ago – 1972
The Central Area Planning Council gave its go-ahead to a recreation trailer camp condominium project in Poppet Flat.

30 years ago – 1982
Lora Steere, longtime Idyllwild resident, received her 80th Squirrel Card for visiting the Tahquitz Peak Lookout. She first visited the lookout years earlier when her father carried her to the top. This time she was carried in her wheelchair-litter.

25 years ago – 1987
A record for the year, 65 Hill residents turned out to give blood and receive a free cholesterol test.

20 years ago – 1992
Several members of Idyllwild School Club MAD (Make A Difference) helped out with landscaping at the Idyllwild HELP Center as part of their community service project for the month.

15 years ago – 1997
At press time, firefighter crews were battling four separate fires on the Hill.

10 years ago – 2002
A 17-year-old Idyllwild resident was arrested on suspicion of burglary, assault with a deadly weapon and home invasion after he entered a Stone Creek home wearing a ski mask and wielding a knife.

5 year ago – 2007
The Hospital Defense League filed suit to block the sale of the Valley Health System to Select Healthcare Solutions of Del Mar.

1 year ago – 2011
The Idyllwild Fire Protection District asked Riverside County for a $450,000 loan. Technically, the funds might have been considered an advance of $450,000 from the agency’s 2011-12 property taxes.

Similar Posts

  • Past Tense: April 18, 2013

    65 years ago – 1948 The Town Crier reported that Editor Ernie Maxwell’s cat had five new kittens. 60 years ago – 1953 Sunset magazine featured an article about Idyllwild. 55 years ago – 1958 Actor David Niven stopped at Doro’s Market and visited for a while. 50 years ago – 1963 Five Orange County…

  • Past tense: April 16, 2015

    65 years ago – 1950 The U.S. Forest Service was finishing plans for the Lake Fulmor dedication ceremony. 60 years ago – 1955 First- and second-graders from Idyllwild School were taken by bus to Hemet for polio vaccine shots. 55 years ago – 1960 “Biggest thing since the Inn burned down!” commented Jim Johnson as…

  • Past Tense: March 12, 2015

    65 years ago – 1950 FM radio equipment was installed in Forest Service trucks and lookouts. 60 years ago – 1955 Registered voters served by the Idyllwild Water Company were to go to the polls to vote for or against the formation of an Idyllwild County Water District, and to elect five directors. 55 years…

  • |

    Past Tense: June 16, 2016

    65 years ago – 1951 Gary Cooper was vacationing at the Idyllwild Inn. 60 years ago – 1956 “George the barber” at the Idyllwild Inn was advertising his services with the slogan, “All the latest krazy kuts, also something subdued for pops.” 55 years ago – 1961 Jon Gnagy, an artist known for giving televised…