65 years ago – 1949

A group of volunteer searchers plucked a lost deer hunter out of the rugged North Fork canyon just as he was about to spend his second night in freezing weather without food.

 

60 years ago – 1954

The Izaak Walton League honored its Woodsmans Breakfast crew for a year of community projects including placing 45 “America’s Cleanest Forest” trash cans along highways and in town.

 

55 years ago – 1959

A futile search was conducted for a missing Cessna aircraft believed to have crashed in the local mountains during a storm while it was en route from Las Vegas to San Diego. Three people were aboard.

 

50 years ago – 1964

On the basis of electric company ratios, it was estimated that Idyllwild’s population was 2,700 in November. Summer population was put at 25,000.

 

45 years ago – 1969

Pine Cove Lodge offered a weekly spaghetti and meatball dinner for 99 cents.

 

40 years ago – 1974

Rumors were rampant that Frank Sinatra was moving to Idyllwild. Actually, his destination was Pinyon Crest.

 

35 years ago – 1979

Gov. Jerry Brown announced that California would return to an odd-even gasoline rationing plan.

 

30 years ago – 1984

The local Cornet variety store was having a Thanksgiving sale.

 

25 years ago – 1989

Jan’s Red Kettle became the first restaurant in Idyllwild to become completely smoke free.

 

20 years ago – 1994

Idyllwild Pizza Company owners Ken and Cheryl Dahleen invited the community to a first-anniversary celebration featuring live Dixieland jazz and two comedy shows.

 

15 years ago – 1999

Statistics were released showing that student enrollment at Idyllwild School had significantly dropped. Although home sales were up in Idyllwild, the continuing attrition was attributed in large part to fewer families with children moving to the Hill.

 

10 years ago – 2004

The latest work of art by local sculptor Lee Millett, a 5-1/2-foot-tall sculpture of a prisoner of war on display in the Riverside National Cemetery, was soon to be adopted as the national POW/MIA symbol.

 

5 years ago – 2009

Sister Helen Prejean, the author of “Dead Man Walking” and “Death of Innocence,” was to present “Justice and Compassion in the Web of Life” at the Learning Center.

 

1 year ago – 2013

As part of its efforts to ensure counties with a large portion of public lands received payments equivalent to the loss of property taxes, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would increase timber logging efforts on many national forests.