Past Tense: March 14, 2013
65 years ago – 1948
Fire quickly burned more than an acre on the mountainside below Suicide Rock. The snow was too deep to allow pumpers to get close to the fire.
60 years ago – 1953
ISOMATA was growing fast. Enrollment was expected to reach 500 students and the 40 faculty members would equal the total enrollment of students for the first summer session in 1950.
55 years ago – 1958
A 20-inch snowfall brought skiers to the Idyllwild slopes of Halona Hill.
50 years ago – 1963
A year after it disappeared en route from Pomona to Cathedral City, a Cessna was discovered crashed on the north slope of Mt. San Jacinto. Aboard were the remains of a Covina man, Robert Burke, and his sons, Robert Jr., 12, and Donald, 11.
45 years ago – 1968
Direct long-distance dialing telephone service became available on the Hill.
40 years ago – 1973
Searchers rescued a Glendora man in Tahquitz Canyon, but learned his companion had perished while attempting to swim an icy pond. The survivor also told of discovering the body of Ronald Gidcumb who had been missing in the mountains since Feb. 7.
35 years ago – 1978
Hemet Unified School District trustees accepted title to a 20-acre parcel of land in Garner Valley, donated by Jack Garner, to be used for a public secondary school.
30 years ago – 1983
The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) opposed the proposed building site for the Garner Valley High School, citing incompatible land use with the surrounding land owned by USFS.
25 years ago – 1988
The Rev. Betty Jandl of the Idyllwild Church of Religious Science organized a chili cook-off to raise funds for the Idyllwild emergency radio station. The event was held at Town Hall.
20 years ago – 1993
A cat that had been missing for 52 days was found by local Frank Gorzny after an extensive search. “Zippy” had gotten loose after being brought to the Hill by a part-time resident, cat-sitting for her daughter who was in the hospital.
15 years ago – 1998
Don Gilden, Idyllwild fire chief of nearly eight years, was due to retire within the month.
10 years ago – 2003
About 30 youth from Idyllwild Bible Church participated in the 12th annual World Vision 30-Hour Famine to raise funds to fight world hunger. During their fast, they also collected canned foods for the Idyllwild HELP Center’s food pantry.
1 year ago – 2012
An escalation of local crime lead the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department to schedule a community meeting.
