70 years ago – 1950

Cliff Campbell was running trail rides into the back country from his corrals at the Idyllwild Dairy. 

65 years ago – 1955

Representatives of major conservation organizations met at Bowman Arts Center for the third-annual conservation conference. 

60 years ago – 1960

General building contractor William J. Burke advertised a more than 2,000-square-foot home selling for $13,500. The house would include four bedrooms, two bathrooms and a garage.  

55 years ago – 1965

One of America’s great singing groups, Bessie Jones and the Georgia Sea Island Singers and Dancers, participated in the Summers in the Folk Music Workshop at the University of Southern California’s Idyllwild School of Music and the Arts (now Idyllwild Arts Academy). 

50 years ago – 1970

Dr. Max Krone, founder of the Idyllwild School of Music and the Arts, died at his home in Laguna Hills. He started the ISOMATA program 20 years prior. 

45 years ago – 1975

Two Idyllwild houses were damaged due to fire. One family returned to their home on Idyllmont Road to find the house burned almost flat. The other home, on Country Club Drive, received damage to a door and some wall surfaces. 

40 years ago – 1980

Volunteer bus driver Ron Colgate became the new director of the Mt. San Jacinto Senior Center.

35 years ago – 1985

A nearly $400,000 suspected arson fire burned a 4,000-square-foot Quonset hut at the U.S. Forest Service Keenwild Guard Station near Mountain Center. The blaze destroyed the building’s entire contents but there was only one minor injury to a firefighter.  

30 years ago – 1990

Owner of Hoffman Realty for 12 years, Suzy Hoffman sold the realty to Roy Harris who had been associated with the firm for four years.  

20 years ago – 2000

Despite 867 signatures on a petition, Idyllwild Charter High School failed to get critical support from the Hemet Unified School District Board of Trustees and was forced to close its doors.

15 years ago – 2005

Twenty-two Elvis Presley fans descended on Idyllwild to pay homage to the location of the 1961 film “Kid Galahad.” The fans presented an original poster for the movie to the Idyllwild Area Historical Society. 

10 years ago – 2010

Idyllwild Water District directors approved a 6% rate increase for each of the next five years.

5 years ago – 2015

PGA Tour golfer Brendan Steele showed off his Idyllwild hometown to CBS for a nationally televised show, “Coming Home.”

1 year ago – 2019

The remains of 55-year-old husband and father of four, John Sturkie, who had been missing since Jan. 5, were found.