Past Tense: February 13, 2020
70 years ago – 1950
By Feb. 15, the season’s total rainfall was 20 inches. The snow line was above 6,500 feet, and the weather was warm.
65 years ago – 1955
An Idyllwild Inn cabin was badly damaged in a fire. A bucket of cleaning fluid and a throw rug left near a floor heater ignited starting the fire.
60 years ago – 1960
It was announced that Mt. San Jacinto State Park was included in Governor Edmund G. Brown’s proposed state budget which called for appropriation of $93,000 to be used to acquire land in the Stone Creek area.
55 years ago – 1965
The building of two miles of new streets started for a 40-acre Pine Cove subdivision that would contain 130 homes.
50 years ago – 1970
In an economic move, the local post office discontinued Saturday window service.
45 years ago – 1975
Loggers started clearing the land behind the former post office to make way for the shopping center planned along Strawberry Creek.
40 years ago – 1980
Idyllwild Fire Chief Bud Hunt volunteered to make a free inspection of any Idyllwild home to determine the proper location for a smoke detector.
35 years ago – 1985
About 30 people representing a variety of special interest groups attended a U.S. Forest Service workshop to express their views about off-highway vehicle (OHV) use in the National Forest. Among the concerns raised were the lack of OHV opportunities and the need for limiting OHVs.
30 years ago – 1990
Teachers at Idyllwild School were looking forward to an 8% pay raise retroactive to the start of the school year. The Hemet Teachers Association approved a new three-year contract with the Hemet Unified School District.
25 years ago – 1995
Parents, teachers and administrators at Idyllwild School were finishing plans for a fundraising campaign to provide the school’s playground with new equipment. At the time, the playground had only one swing set.
20 years ago – 2000
Jazz legend and film star Herb Jeffries performed at a special concert held at the Tyrol Mansion in Pine Cove to benefit jazz pianist Harry Pickens, who was struggling with serious health issues.
15 years ago – 2005
A major wind storm with gusts of 70 mph caused more than 20 local homes to be damaged by falling trees.
10 years ago – 2010
Torrential rain’s final drops broke and washed out a 30- to 40-foot section of Highway 74 in the area of the Cottonwood Fire burn.
5 years ago – 2015
Lawler Lodge, a few miles north of Idyllwild, has been recommended for designation as a Riverside County historical landmark.
1 year ago – 2019
Idyllwild resident/composer Peter Davison’s album “Iris: Bringer of Dreams” had been nominated for an award. One World Music Radio had nominated it for “Best New Age Album.”
