Few failed to enjoy this snow in January 1974, perhaps the most beautiful one in 20 years, according to the Town Crier. Water boards rejoiced at its wetness, photographers at its whiteness on blue sky days, hikers at the glory of the back country. Snowmen and Snowwomen appeared both in town center and in cabin yards, prompting a snow-sculpting contest at Idyllwild School. file photo

70 years ago - 1949
A cold snap brought a high of 30 degrees and a low of 7 degrees one day, freezing pipes and Mrs. Eric Holm’s breath on her coat. Emax reported that even the squirrels were shivering.

65 years ago - 1954
The California Public Utilities Commission approved Idyllwild Water Company’s request to raise its annual rates from a minimum of $18, set in 1945, to $30.

60 years ago - 1959
Idyllwild Fire Chief Bill Price reported to Chamber of Commerce members that the department had answered 12 alarm calls, 26 resucitator and oxygen calls, and 66 first aid calls in 1958.

55 years ago - 1964
Bids were called for by Security First National Bank for constructing its new Idyllwild branch.
50 years ago - 1969
Action on supplying domestic water for a 2,000-home Garner Valley recreational-residential development was delayed until the Feb. 4 Lake Hemet Municipal Water District meeting.

45 years ago - 1974
Storms during the past week brought the heaviest snowfall to the mountains since December 1967. Continuous snowfall that Friday resulted in 15 inches of snow by 10:30 p.m.

40 years ago - 1979
Connor Bryce Finn, born to Dennis and Melody Finn of Pine Cove at 12:14 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 4, was the Hill’s first baby of the year.

35 years ago - 1984
An automatic pump that injected aluminum sulfate into the Idyllwild Water District’s water supply apparently malfunctioned, leaving a bitter taste in the mouths of many of the town’s residents.

30 years ago - 1989
The Skyline Retreat Project, a complex on about 3.5 acres on the southern side of Strawberry Creek Square, containing a conference center, a 120-room hotel, a 168-seat restaurant, a health center, a spa and 10 retail shops, appeared to be abandoned by its developers.

25 years ago - 1994
The Hill community and the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department were waiting for confirmation that a body found along the North Fork of the San Jacinto River was that of Aziz Ghazal, a man wanted in the double homicide of his estranged wife, Rebecca Vallstedt-Ghazal, and their 13-year-old daughter, Khadijah Ghazal, both of Pine Cove.

20 years ago - 1999
Tom Frankovich was walking his dog when he came across a large patch burning between Pine Dell Estates and the Strawberry Creek Square. After calling 911, he and six men from Fairway Market snuffed out the fire with water buckets and a fire extinguisher.

15 years ago - 2004
The Idyllwild Chamber of Commerce was to host its first WinterFest celebration in the heart of Idyllwild.

10 years ago - 2009
Part-time Pine Cove resident Paul Kallmes, an engineer, had supervised the new design of the New Year’s Eve Ball in New York’s Times Square.

5 years ago - 2014
In the space of one week, a series of six earthquakes shook the Idyllwild area along the San Jacinto Fault.

1 year ago - 2018
Influenza was spreading and the toll was overwhelming local healthcare capabilities.