Photo courtesy Kenny Chapman
65 years ago - 1949
Street lights came to Fern Valley Corners.
60 years ago - 1954
Members of the Riverside Community Settlement Association were the first guests to enjoy the facilities of Camp Lawler, an 80-acre estate given to the county by a Los Angeles attorney.
55 years ago - 1959
Chamber of Commerce trustees voted to have the necessary work done to make Town Hall suitable for school classes pending completion of a new classroom at Idyllwild Elementary School.
50 years ago - 1964
Ella Lewis, 86, and Edith Poore, both of Hemet, made their seventh-annual hike to Tahquitz Peak.
45 years ago - 1969
Following the astronauts via TV as they walked on the moon, Ernie Maxwell noted that they left litter behind, and feared the Milky Way was in danger of becoming the Murky Way.
40 years ago - 1974
The long-hoped-for expansion of Idyllwild County Park got under way officially with an informal groundbreaking on the site. The addition would add 120 acres to the park.
35 years ago - 1979
Bus service between Idyllwild and Hemet was approved by the Riverside Transit Agency Board of Directors.
30 years ago - 1984
Dialing a five-digit number on the Hill no longer worked. Residents were required to dial the full seven digits because of changes made in the local telephone switching office.
25 years ago - 1989
It was reported that the Fern Valley Water District for years had disregarded state regulations and diverted more water than allowed from Strawberry Creek away from downstream users.
20 years ago - 1994
A report by the Riverside County grand jury recommended that the Hill’s three main water districts — Idyllwild, Pine Cove and Fern Valley — merge, citing a savings of $390,000.
15 years ago - 1999
With more than 400 visitors, the Art Alliance’s first all-member exhibit with 43 artists presenting 108 works of art was hailed as a triumph.
10 years ago - 2004
Idyllwild had a new 951 area code.
5 years ago - 2009
The 16th-annual Jazz in the Pines was only a few weeks away and was to feature saxophonist Mindi Abair on Saturday, and the legendary jazz and salsa percussionists Pete and Sheila Escovedo, father and daughter, on Sunday.
1 year ago - 2013
The Stars and Stripes greeted Idyll-wild residents as they returned from the
previous week’s evacuation from the Mountain Fire. Idyllwild Fire hung the flag on its ladder truck as people arrived Sunday afternoon.