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70 years ago – 1947

Sharon Schmidt, co-owner of Mt. Center Market, was the new fourth-grade teacher at Idyllwild Elementary School in September 1972. Now Sharie Smyth, she lives in the Virgin Islands and survived Hurricane Irma. file photo

“Hurricane Force Winds Leave Idyllwild in a Shamble,” screamed the Town Crier’s page-one headline. The George Thomas Cedar, oldest tree on the mountain, was uprooted.

65 years ago – 1952

Heavy rains in Hemet almost flooded the Armistice Day parade, which included a float entered by the Idyllwild PTA. James Taylor rode on the float as Uncle Sam.

60 years ago – 1957

Chuck Winkauf was placed in charge of Christmas decorating for the newly-formed Chamber of Commerce of the San Jacinto Mountains headed by Clarence Bischof. Bill Miller was named president of the Idyllwild Chamber.

55 years ago – 1962

About 71 percent of the Hill’s registered voters cast ballots in the Nov. 6 election, voting heavily Republican. Richard Nixon received 415 votes for governor against Pat Brown’s 187.

50 years ago – 1967

Bull riding and calf roping drew crowds as Anza staged its first rodeo.

45 years ago – 1972

A week of storms brought  the moisture total to twice the 1971 figure and raised hopes that a wet winter was starting. Pine Cove got 4 inches of snow.

40 years ago – 1977

November was declared “Numbers Month” in Pine Cove. Lafe Ralstin, a member of the Pine Cove Property Owners Association, agreed to start a number-your-house campaign. Marking addresses on homes would help officials during an emergency, association members agreed.

35 years ago – 1982

About 100 people attended the Veterans Day program in the center of Idyllwild and saw a new flag raised on a new flagpole.

30 years ago – 1987

Plans were announced for the removal of nearly 4-million gallons of silt from Foster Lake so the water storage could be brought up to its original capacity.

25 years ago – 1992

With the population growing in Southern California, phone companies found it harder and harder to assign new telephone numbers. To solve the situation, GTE California, Pacific Bell and Contel enacted a new 909 area code by splitting the 714 area code.

20 years ago – 1997

Idyllwild School classroom computers were being connected to the Internet.

15 years ago – 2002

After months of spoken and unspoken prayers for rain, Idyllwild received 8.62 inches of rain in two days. The past season had marked the lowest precipitation received in Idyllwild for 72 years, with the previous three years also considered drought years.

10 years ago – 2007

A woman and her children, hiking on Deer Springs Trail, discovered the body of a deceased male who was believed to have been dead for about a week.

5 years ago – 2012

The non-native Goldspotted oak borer that killed more than 80,000 oaks in San Diego County was identified in Idyllwild oaks.

1 year ago – 2016

Idyllwild local Dave Pelham crash-landed his plane and survived relatively unscathed in a landing that crushed much of the plane.

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