Snow shrouded trees hang over Strawberry Creek after the season’s first snowfall. Photo taken Nov. 1, 1974. file photo

70 years ago - 1949
Chuck and Mary Roberts’ dog, Red, was a hero. His persistent barking at 2 a.m. alerted Chuck that the Cedars Cafe was ablaze. Chuck turned on the alarm. Bunny Brown, on the switchboard, called Bill Price and the firefighters.
65 years ago - 1954
Forest Service Ranger John Gilman announced that Christmas trees could not be cut in the San Jacinto district that season, stating that they were “much more valuable as watershed and scenic assets than they would be as holiday decorations.”
60 years ago - 1959
Golfers were testing the new Tahquitz Lake Golf Course on the site known as Dutch Flat.
55 years ago - 1964
Idyllwild School fourth- through eighth-graders watched with interest as TV sets were installed in their classrooms.
50 years ago - 1969
The 500,000th volume added to the library of the University of California, Riverside was “The Cahuilla Indians,” by Harry James, Town Crier contributor and resident of the San Jacinto Mountains.
45 years ago - 1974
Fern Valley Water District purchased a 1.4 million-gallon storage tank, increasing the district’s storage capacity 50%.
40 years ago - 1979
Under the direction of Robert Holmes, the third-annual performance of Handel’s “Messiah” was being rehearsed. A 190-member group, consisting of Idyllwild Community Chorale members and alumni of the ISOMATA (now Idyllwild Arts Academy) Festival Choir and Orchestra were scheduled to present two performances of the famous oratorio.
35 years ago - 1984
An agreement for a 10.3% pay raise was finally reached between the Hemet Teachers Association and the Hemet Unified School District.
30 years ago - 1989
Artist Jonathan LaBenne spent long days carving so he could finish the new tree monument in time for its unveiling before the annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony.
25 years ago - 1994
Idyllwild Fire Department Capt. Terry Nelson and paramedic Alan Lott were credited with saving the life of a 7-week-old infant visiting Idyllwild with his parents.
20 years ago - 1999
U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Soil Scientist Randy Davis and a crew of Hotshots and other USFS engine crews were rehabbing the thousands of acres burned in August’s Mixing Fire. They were trying to prevent mudslides from occurring during the approaching rainy season.
15 years ago - 2004
Idyllwild Inn celebrated its 100th anniversary.
10 years ago - 2009
Capt. John Pingel, Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Hemet station commander, said the station’s Special Investigation Bureau conducted 16 operations from January through October 2009 that netted a marijuana haul of 77,242 plants in the Idyllwild area with street value in excess of $200 million.
5 years ago - 2014
Idyllwild Skate Park, which opened in 2004, was closed until further notice. Sufficient funds were needed to complete a full rehabilitation of all ramp surfaces.
1 year ago - 2018
In a pre-holiday meeting, the directors of the Idyllwild Water District addressed several major issues. During the regular portion of the meeting, they adopted a water shortage contingency plan, took a position on the district’s role serving the Idyllwild Community Center, tabled the issue of rebates for water filters and intensified the search for a new general manager.