Past Tense: July 16, 2015
65 years ago – 1950
Realtors were advertising cabins with fireplaces for $3,750 and acre-sized lots for $1,250.
60 years ago – 1955
C.L. Emerson died in Hemet at the age of 82. He had been associated with the early development of Idyllwild and purchased the Idyllwild Inn in 1917.
55 years ago – 1960
Dr. Max Krone said ISOMATA (now Idyllwild Arts Academy) was considering plans for a year-round college prep school, with an emphasis on the arts.
50 years ago – 1965
A town-wide party was being planned by the Idyllwild Property Owners Association for Rita Patton, who had just retired as postmaster after 26 years of service in Idyllwild.
45 years ago – 1970
A plan to widen North Circle Drive to 66 feet was rejected. After Riverside County Planning Commissioner Robert O’Donnel told his colleagues that local residents opposed the proposal, the Planning Department turned down the proposal.
40 years ago – 1975
Tragedy marred the Fourth of July holiday on the Hill when a 19-year-old Riverside man drowned at Lake Fulmor.
35 years ago – 1980
The Riverside County Board of Supervisors voted to increase the county dump fees from $10 to $18.90 for single-family residences. The increase would appear on the 1980-81 property tax bills for homeowners in the mountain areas.
30 years ago – 1985
Former Riverside County Supervisor Kay Ceniceros led a dedication ceremony renaming the Scenic Trail, a 2.5-mile trail from Humber Park to the South Ridge Trail, as the Ernie Maxwell Scenic Trail in honor of the longtime Hill resident.
25 years ago – 1990
A dedication ceremony was held for the installation of a bronze plaque commemorating the Idyllwild Tree Monument and listing names of the more than 160 donors who made its creation possible.
20 years ago – 1995
Careline California was named as provider of ambulance service for Pine Cove. However, about 40 Pine Cove residents attended the Idyllwild Fire Protection District Board of Commissioners meeting to make a plea that the Idyllwild Fire Department provide service for Pine Cove residents.
15 years ago – 2000
Ken Dahleen was putting together his first Summer Concert Series. The first concert by country group The Nightriders would be held in the open lot behind the Idyllwild Tree Monument (now the site of the Village Centre shopping plaza).
10 years ago – 2005
After being a primary club in the Idyllwild area for 45 years, the 39ers disbanded.
5 years ago – 2010
The endangered Lemon Lily, native to the Hill, now had its own month thanks to the efforts of Idyllwild citizens who were promoting the Lemon Lily Festival.
1 year ago – 2014
Bright green new foliage had begun to carpet land ravaged a year earlier by the Mountain Fire, which began at privately owned Gibraltar West Ranch in Mountain Center on July 15, 2013.
