File photo
70 years ago - 1948
Bill Butler’s masterpiece, a huge totem pole, was about to be installed in front of the Idyllwild Inn. The pole weighed more than 3 tons, and required 136 hours of carving and 36 hours of painting.
65 years ago - 1953
A “beach” area was added to the Idyllwild Plunge swimming pool. It included sunbathing and volleyball areas, a ping-pong table and a Shetland pony merry-go-round.
60 years ago - 1958
Bill Price Jr., who had distinguished himself scholastically at Hemet High School, received a $4,000 scholarship to the college of his choice from Nutrilite. He also won a Bank of America award for laboratory science.
55 years ago - 1963
Postmaster Rita Patton announced that the communities of Idyllwild and Pine Cove would get a five-digit ZIP Code as part of the new national ZIP Code system.
50 years ago - 1968
For the first time in 20 years, Jess Southwell was not at his fire lookout post atop Tahquitz Peak. He suffered a heart attack while on a visit to Texas.
45 years ago - 1973
A major brush fire that came to within one-and-a-half miles of Poppet Flats burned 2,200 acres, but no structures were destroyed.
40 years ago - 1978
Graduation was the big event of the week. More than 375 seniors graduated from Hemet High School, 15 of them from the Hill. Desert Sun School graduated 33 seniors.
35 years ago - 1983
A dedication concert for the new Robert Evans Holmes Amphitheatre on the USC-ISOMATA campus featured seven entertainment groups.
30 years ago - 1988
The big band sounds of The Ted Herman Orchestra were featured at the annual Pops in the Park Concert and family picnic sponsored by the Idyllwild Property Owners Association.
25 years ago - 1993
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held for Village Hair Creations, owned by Dawn and Keith Finlayson, which opened for business at the Strawberry Creek Square.
20 years ago - 1998
Local citizens would have the opportunity to have their voices heard by governmental representatives due to the Mobile Office Program coming to the Hill. The program was designed to provide accessibility for residents of remote communities to bring their concerns personally to officials.
15 years ago - 2003
Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit hosted a three-day gathering of 31 mountain rescue groups from as far away as Maryland and Alaska.
10 years ago - 2008
In a letter to Hill subscribers dated June 9, the Press-Enterprise announced that effective June 30, it would discontinue distribution on the Hill.
5 years ago - 2013
Arturo Delgado, the new district ranger on the San Jacinto Ranger District, had arrived, been meeting his new staff and learning about the Hill. And what he had discovered, as many residents have learned, is “it just feels like home. There are lots of trees, grass and water,” he said. “I grew up in a small town like Idyllwild.”
1 year ago - 2017
The California Department of Transportation began repairing a sinkhole and other damaged areas to Highway 243 near Idyllwild-Pine Cove and Poppet Flats. Water runoff from snow and rain this past winter damaged a culvert and eroded slopes along the highway. Caltrans’ director issued a $1.5 million order to secure permits with local agencies to make repairs.
