60 years ago – 1961
The U.S. Forest Service conducted an inventory of timber in the May Valley area where a critical insect problem existed to appraise value and quality of lumber.

55 years ago – 1966
Town Hall celebrated its 20th year with exhibits, a buffet and entertainment.

50 years ago – 1971
By enacting zoning that prohibits billboard advertising, county supervisors paved the way for the state to add the Banning-Idyllwild Highway (243) to the scenic highway system.

45 years ago – 1976
Joe and Yongsoon Neu had just moved to the Hill with two children, a baby and a child of grammar-school age.

40 years ago – 1981
Building activity on the mountain was up 33% from 1980. In county unincorporated areas as a whole, construction was down 42% from 1980.

35 years ago – 1986
Nearly 2,000 people attended the 20th-annual Harvest Festival.

30 years ago – 1991
The Jr. Jazzercise Christmas recital took place at Idyllwild Elementary with 72 performers, from 4 years old to mid-teens.

25 years ago – 1996
Local children’s book author John Archambault signed copies of his books at Toys, Wood ’N’ Dreams downstairs at The Fort.

20 years ago – 2001
The search for a 16-year-old Pine Cove boy who had been missing since Nov. 15 ended five days later when a friend confessed to his murder and led investigators to the body.

15 years ago – 2006
Released helicopter fuel, a possible source of water contamination at Foster Lake, was found and removed before any contamination occured.

10 years ago – 2011
A 14-year-old boy, identified as Isreal Delatorre, of Coachella, was accidentally shot while hunting with family members. The boy succumbed to injuries at the scene in the forest, about an hour after the incident.
5 years ago – 2016
Riverside County 3rd District Supervisor Chuck Washington convened a multi-agency meeting to address issues growing after several weekends of unprecedented snow-visitor traffic.

1 year ago – 2020
Jon King accomplished some personal milestones after hiking up into the San Jacinto Mountains nearly every day this year, hiking 5,000 miles.