Past tense: May 28, 2015

65 years ago – 1950
Audie Murphy’s film, “The Kid from Texas,” was playing at the Rustic Theatre. It was shot the previous year on the mountain.

 60 years ago – 1955
The Froehlichs were installing a larger screen in the Rustic Theatre so Cinemascope films could be shown.

55 years ago – 1960
Leigh Dutton was authorized to continue selling wine and beer at his Gourmet Liquor Shop. A Riverside Superior Court judge denied a writ of mandate sought by Lee Bailey, representing the Idyllwild Protective League.

50 years ago – 1965
Bud Hunt was the new Junior Chamber of Commerce president.

45 years ago – 1970
The first hookup for Idyllwild’s new sewer system connected to the Wilson Smith home and tied into the trunk lines.

40 years ago – 1975
An easing of the gasoline crisis was credited for a big increase in the number of people visiting the Hill over the holiday weekend. The U.S. Forest Service estimated the Hill had 45,000 visitors.

35 years ago – 1980
At a meeting of the Idyllwild Property Owners Association, Fire Chief Bud Hunt reported that hot ashes were “the number one culprit” of fires on the Hill.

30 years ago – 1985
Among the five Idyllwild residents graduating from the Elliott-Pope Preparatory School was Mark Taylor. Valedictorian of his graduating class of 38 members, Taylor was awarded a $500 scholarship from the Idyllwild Scholarship Fund.

25 years ago – 1990
Residents of Coulter Pines Mobile Home Park in Pine Cove, who had formed a corporation, bought the park from the heir of the late owner.

20 years ago – 1995
About 100 children and many adult volunteers attended the fourth-annual Fishing Festival at Lake Fulmor. Sadly, only one fish was caught during the day-long event.

15 years ago – 2000
Memorial weekend on the Hill was marred by the Tahquitz Fire that claimed 233 acres of the mountain wilderness overlooking Idyllwild, Fern Valley and Pine Cove. Many campers were turned away when the U.S. Forest Service was forced to close all camping and day-use sites in the southern half of the wilderness area.

10 years ago – 2005
More than 30 rescuers combed the Pacific Crest Trail for hiker John Donovan, 60, of Virginia, who hadn’t been seen in almost a month. The search was futile until 2006 when Donovan’s remains were found. He had apparently lost the trail in the snow and hiked into a canyon from which he could not hike out.

5 years ago – 2010
Temecula Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau President Kimberly Adams and Chair Dennis Ferguson counseled local business leaders on the challenges and opportunities in forming a business improvement district at the Caine Learning Center.

1 year ago – 2014
In preparation for the 2014 fire season, the U.S. Forest Service added four more aircraft to its next-generation firefighting fleet, bringing the total number of aircraft to 21 large air-tankers and more than 100 helicopters. The new aircraft was to enter into service in the coming weeks and support more than 10,000 firefighters for the 2014 wildfire season.