Past Tense: April 26, 2018
70 years ago – 1948
file photo
All major streams in the mountains had been stocked for the May 1 trout opener. Among the volunteers were a couple of young boys, Jimmy Johnson and Don Brolin.
65 years ago – 1953
The Chamber of Commerce took action to see how the disturbance caused by bugles and loud speakers in area summer camps could be regulated.
60 years ago – 1958
Jerry Johnson’s Foster Lake was scheduled to open for angling.
55 years ago – 1963
A fierce snowstorm hit the Hill without warning. More than a foot of snow was reported in Pine Cove and Fern Valley.
50 years ago – 1968
A two-bedroom, furnished cabin was listed for rent in the Town Crier classified ads for $65 per month.
45 years ago – 1973
Preston Wood showed the Town Crier letters he received from Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew thanking him for gavels he made and gave them.
40 years ago – 1978
Dr. Alfred Bork, part-time Idyllwild resident, received the 1978 Robert A. Milikan Lecture Award for his expertise in computer science. “Computers over the next 25 years will become the dominate mode of education at all levels,” he said.
35 years ago – 1983
Three local children, Jeffrey Muir, 5, Lauren Muir, 4, and Christopher Murray Gioeli, 6, spent almost 11 hours in below-freezing temperatures in the area west of Deer Springs Trail before being found by members of the Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit. They had become lost after they decided to go on a picnic and wandered away from their babysitter’s house.
30 years ago – 1988
Local resident and businessman Frank Ferro made his debut performance in the lead role of Alessandro in the 61st-annual production of the Ramona Pageant.
25 years ago – 1993
The Idyllwild Help Center was granted almost 2 acres of property, including two single-family homes, for a lease of just $1 a year by the owners who wished to remain anonymous.
20 years ago – 1998
Hill business owners, meeting with a sheriff’s deputy at a Chamber meeting, discussed the problem of youngsters skateboarding on Fort property and agreed to look into writing a grant to establish a local skateboarding facility.
15 years ago – 2003
In an attempt to raise federal funds, Gov. Gray Davis asked President Bush to declare a national state of emergency in Riverside County because of the enormous number of dead and dying trees resulting from four years of drought and a devastating bark beetle infestation.
10 years ago – 2008
The body of an unidentified female was found about 50 yards off the Pacific Crest Trail in the wilderness area north of Apple Canyon road around Antsell Rock.
5 years ago – 2013
The Hill’s homegrown mountain bike race, the Idyllwild Spring Challenge, was gearing up for its ninth year. The Idyllwild Cycling event was typically held each year in May on the May Valley trail system from the race’s starting point in the Hurkey Creek Campground.
1 year ago – 2017
The Idyllwild Fire Department was the beneficiary of two separate grants from the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation. One gift gave the department eight sets of turnout gear and the other, 14 self-contained breathing apparatuses. The estimated value of the philanthropy was $49,300.
