65 years ago – 1950

Mildred Thorn, Theda and Bob Simpson and Emsy Dunn were  selected as leaders of the Chamber of Commerce’s July 4th celebration. The event was called Wild Idyle Days.

 

60 years ago – 1955

The Idyllwild Library moved to new quarters at Fern Valley Corners.

 

55 years ago – 1960

Seeking seclusion in the mountains, Erle Stanley Gardner, famous writer of mystery stories and creator of the Perry Mason series, bought a home on the Hill.

 

50 years ago – 1965

The possible inclusion of the Banning-Idyllwild county road in the state’s scenic highway system was advanced when the Assembly Transportation and Commerce Committee approved a bill adding the route to the list.

 

45 years ago – 1970

One climber was killed and another badly injured in a fall on Tahquitz Rock. Members of the Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit, wearing headlamps to guide themselves, worked 12 hours through the night to bring the injured man and the body of his friend off the mountain.

 

40 years ago – 1975

It was announced that Eiler Larsen, the famous “Laguna Greeter,” who was the Idyllwild Greeter for a year in the 1960s, had died. A nature lover, he had been active in the Izaak Walton League.

 

35 years ago – 1980

Riverside County fire officials in Perris formed a new firefighting battalion, headquartered in Pine Cove.

 

30 years ago – 1985

More than 30 varieties of lilacs were in bloom at the Emmanuel home on Idyllmont Drive. The garden had become an attraction on the Hill and visitors to it were welcomed to tour free of charge.

 

25 years ago – 1990

The Idyllwild Transfer Station lifted its ban on the open dumping of pine needles and slash.

 

20 years ago – 1995

A steady, drenching rain caused the sixth-annual Idyllwild Earth Fair to be held indoors.

 

15 years ago – 2000

Luther Weare, former Town Crier owner, publisher and editor from 1972 to 1978, died at the age of 84.

 

10 years ago – 2005

The Hill was besieged by the media after Garner Valley resident and investigator in the Riverside County District Attorney’s Indio office, David McGowan, was found dead in his home, along with the bodies of his wife, mother and three children — an apparent murder/suicide.

 

5 years ago – 2010

A winter of near-average rainfall was not enough to eliminate drought concerns, but was more than adequate to raise fire concerns.

 

1 year ago – 2014

At least temporarily, a federal judge restricted the U.S. Forest Services Adventure Pass program. On April 28, Judge Terry Hatter of the U.S. District Court in the Central District of California, sided with four hikers who objected to paying for an Adventure Pass solely for parking.