Past Tense: May 16, 2019
70 years ago – 1949
Gala event of the week was the reopening of the Rustic Theatre. The feature was “El Paso,” starring John Wayne and Gail Russell.
65 years ago – 1954
State Park Supervisor Frank Davies announced construction of five new campsites.
60 years ago – 1959
American Legion Post 800 received an American flag that had once flown on “Old Ironsides.” The donor was Rear Admiral John McKinney of Idyllwild.
55 years ago – 1964
Dr. Max Krone announced work would start soon on new art and ceramic facilities at ISOMATA, including a new kiln.
50 years ago – 1969
Work began on laying a sewer system in downtown Idyllwild. The job was expected to take a year to complete.
45 years ago – 1974
Chuck Muir, 22, of Mountain Center, was recovering in the hospital from a broken neck, the result of a fall from a horse at Government Meadows in McCall Park while in employment for the U.S. Forest Service as a wilderness patrol.
40 years ago – 1979
Despite adoption of the odd-even gasoline rationing plan throughout Riverside County, gas lines in Idyllwild were longer than ever.
35 years ago – 1984
Site preparation work was set to begin in July on a 120-inmate Bautista Canyon Conservation Camp. Officials of the California Department of Forestry said inmate crews should be working out of the Bautista Camp within a year.
30 years ago – 1989
Hill resident Bob Deeble, who had lived with multiple sclerosis for more than 25 years, was preparing to combine his passion for hiking with a mission of raising public awareness about MS. He and his dog, Ginger, would soon be making a 500-mile hike to encourage others with MS not to give up.
25 years ago – 1994
Firefighters and other volunteers served up more than 100 pounds of spaghetti to more than 500 people at their annual Benefit Spaghetti Night to raise funds for rescue equipment.
20 years ago – 1999
Mountain Disaster Preparedness was awarded a $1,800 grant from the Idyllwild Community Fund to purchase three generators for neighborhood Disaster Aid Stations.
15 years ago – 2004
Idyllwild Rotary Club was putting finishing touches on the new Town Hall kitchen it was building. Club members and local volunteers had spent months raising funds and donating their skills and labor to refurbish the kitchen.
10 years ago – 2009
Robert Lee Childs, 64, of Idyllwild, was arrested on suspicion of annoying children at Idyllwild School. Principal Matt Kraemer sent a note home with the students alerting parents to the situation.
5 years ago – 2014
At least temporarily, a federal judge restricted the U.S. Forest Service’s Adventure Pass program. On April 28, Judge Terry Hatter of the U.S. District Court in the Central District of California sided with four hikers who objected to paying for an Adventure Pass solely for parking.
1 year ago – 2018
The Idyllwild Community Center site had closed for Phase 1 construction.
