Past Tense: Feb. 9, 2017
File photo
60 years ago – 1957
U.S. Marines from Camp Pendleton moved into the Dark Canyon-Pine Flats area to begin a series of winter maneuver operations in the snow.
55 years ago – 1962
Noble Allert, an Idyllwild, Hemet Unified School District trustee, accepted an appointment as the combined districts’ spokesman on the area school unification committee.
50 years ago – 1967
A Riverside amateur sports car driver, Dr. Chester J. Ward, was killed on Highway 74 while driving between Mountain Center and the Cranston Ranger Station.
45 years ago – 1972
More than $150,000 in paintings, statues and other valuable items were stolen from the Idyllwild home of Richard A. Carter.
35 years ago – 1982
The Riverside County Fire Station 23 (Pine Cove) Quick Attack truck slid over the side of Highway 243 in Pine Cove, rolling down the mountainside and becoming wedged between two trees. It took a tow truck and a fire truck with a winch to pull up the unit.
30 years ago – 1987
The Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit rescued a stranded climber from Tahquitz Rock. Flown in by helicopter, the rescuers rappelled down the face of Tahquitz to bring the climber to safety.
25 years ago – 1992
A bus carrying a church group from Orange Country careened off the road a few miles west of Vista Point, sliding 30 to 50 feet down the mountain, and sending 29 people to four hospitals. All were released later that night.
20 years ago – 1997
Holly Leavitt (O’Farrell now) led the regulars to her Jazzercise class at the Town Hall in a recording of a promotional video for the Jazzercise company. Hundreds of girls auditioned for the 23 spots on the team.
15 years ago – 2002
The majority of the 35 Garner Valley residents at a U.S. Forest Service community workshop opposed continuing a lengthy governmental Forest Plan revision process, but the meetings and discussions looked to last for up to two more years.
10 years ago – 2007
Controversy over how the Idyllwild Environmental Conservancy should manage its relationship with the Idyllwild Water District led to the resignation of the second member, and president, in the previous 12 months.
1 year ago – 2016
Pete “Pedro” Anderson, a much-loved Idyllwild musician, storyteller and artist, died suddenly and unexpectedly from the rapid onset of massive pneumonia.
