Past Tense: March 14, 2019
70 years ago – 1949
Caretakers of the Bunker Ranch found themselves snowbound for seven weeks with dwindling provisions.
65 years ago – 1954
The Isaac Walton League built and installed 14 signs to warn motorists about deer on local highways.
60 years ago – 1959
More than 60 mountaineers attended a workshop, sponsored by Forest Lumber, about how to get the most from their chainsaws.
55 years ago – 1964
The Idyllwild Youth Symphony left for London and a concert tour of Wales.
50 years ago – 1969
Mrs. Bertha Chadwick Lichtwald, known as “Anza’s Mother,” died at age 88. The community’s first postmaster was instrumental in securing post office approval for the name Anza in 1924. Previously, the community was generally known as Bautista or Hamilton.
45 years ago – 1974
The energy crisis was cited as the main cause of a sharp decline in residential construction. It was reported that not a single building permit was issued in the mountain area during February.
40 years ago – 1979
More than 1,900 questionnaires were mailed to property owners by the Idyllwild Fire Protection District commissioners. Of the 586 returned, 412 favored paying an approximate $50 surcharge to maintain fire services as they were.
35 years ago – 1984
Four cases of heartworm were discovered in Hill dogs. Dog owners were urged to have their dogs checked by a veterinarian.
30 years ago – 1989
Modern technology came to the Hill when the Security Pacific Bank installed a Ready Teller (ATM) Machine.
25 years ago – 1994
A surveillance camera was installed in the Idyllwild Post Office lobby in response to after-hours vandalism.
20 years ago – 1999
The community was stunned by the generosity of the late Ann Baerwald of Idyllwild when it was announced that she had bequeathed $100,000 to the Idyllwild Community Fund, and $50,000 each to the Soroptimists and the Mountain Community Patrol.
15 years ago – 2004
A meeting was held to get input from kids regarding the final choice on ramp selection for the soon-to-be-built skate park.
10 years ago – 2009
After a Riverside County Superior Court jury handed down a guilty verdict for multiple arsons and the murder of five firefighters to a Beaumont mechanic, the prosecution began the penalty phase of the trial in determining between death or life in prison without possibility of parole for Raymond Lee Oyler, 38, of Beaumont.
5 years ago – 2014
Idyllwild resident Robert Peek, a ranger at Mt. San Jacinto State Park, received the California State Park Rangers Association’s Award of Valor for saving a life.
1 year ago – 2018
With the rain, it was both tough and unfortunate for hikers in the local mountains and trails. Both the California State Parks and the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department executed rescue missions.
