Past Tense: March 4, 2021
70 years ago – 1951
Snow plows were busy with a 2-foot snowfall.
65 years ago – 1956
Chamber Membership Chair Glenn Froehlich reported that reaching the goal of 500 Chamber memberships was getting close with a current total of 394 members.
60 years ago – 1961
Because of the continued absence of moisture, the Forest Service posted “Extreme Fire Danger” warnings throughout the mountains. The season’s first official snow survey at Tahquitz Valley netted one 8-inch lump of snow.
55 years ago – 1966
An advisory committee for Idyllwild’s new Service Area 36 was named by Supervisor Floyd McCall. The members were Dwight Metcalfe, Ernie Maxwell, Laurie Morwood-Clark and Donald Regal.
50 years ago – 1971
People looking to rent might have followed up on two Town Crier classified ads: a one bedroom furnished cabin with loft and fireplace for $125 per month and a one bedroom furnished house with utilities included for $90.
45 years ago – 1976
There was a collective sigh of relief when two high school senior boys were rescued by the Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit after spending six snowbound days in the wilderness. Along with Idyllwild’s RMRU, rescue teams from San Diego, Sierra Madre, San Dimas and China Lake deployed in the search effort.
40 years ago – 1981
Members of the Desert Sun School cross-country ski team were filmed at the Idyllwild County Visitor Center for a 22-minute color movie for the Riverside County Parks system.
35 years ago – 1986
A five-year school construction plan, which included phasing in a high school at Anza’s Hamilton Elementary School and remodeling Idyllwild’s Elementary School, was approved by the Hemet Unified School District.
30 years ago – 1991
A torrential rainstorm dropped 12 inches of rain on Idyllwild, uprooting trees and causing flooding. Nevertheless, the precipitation was welcome as the area was in a Stage 3 water-shortage emergency.
25 years ago – 1996
The Idyllwild School Science Olympiad team celebrated its second-consecutive, first-place finish in the Riverside and San Bernardino counties’ annual event.
20 years ago – 2001
It was announced that the Idyllwild and Pine Cove water districts were selling the Idyllwild-Pine Cove Community Center to the county for $1.
15 years ago – 2006
All three Hill water districts reported numerous water leaks as the freezing weather broke many pipes in unoccupied second homes in which the water had not been turned off.
10 years ago – 2011
Agency representatives from Riverside and San Bernardino counties met to consider how to confront the threat to local oaks from the Goldspotted oak borer, which was in San Diego County but had not yet reached these two counties.
5 years ago – 2016
California Department of Parks and Recreation rescued two lost hikers, both from Indiana, in Mt. San Jacinto State Park.
1 year ago – 2020
A comprehensive new schedule of programs and classes for 2020 had been announced by the Idyllwild Community Garden & Education Center (ICG), formerly known as the Idyllwild Demonstration Garden, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit project of Young Idyllwild Inc.
