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Robert Smith

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Before Our Time: A memorable time: 1946-2016 — 70 years …

2016 marks the 70th anniversary of the most extraordinary year in Idyllwild’s history. 1946 saw the birth of such landmark institutions as the Town...

Before Our Time: Sometimes history needs correcting …

Fifteen years ago this month, a group of local residents created the Idyllwild Area Historical Society, dedicated to collecting, preserving and sharing evidence of...

Before Our Time: Memories of Keen Camp and Tahquitz Lodge …

Our beloved Strawberry Valley hasn’t always been the main tourist attraction in the San Jacinto Mountains. Between 1915 and 1924, the Idyllwild Inn had...

Before Our Time: Immigrant helps preserve the mountain …

After I mentioned the George Thomas Cedar last month, a reader asked about another local landmark, the A.C. Lovekin Cedar. Though not so old...

Before our Time: Today’s news; tomorrow’s history …

November 1957: Idyllwild had never seen anything like it. According to the Town Crier, the village was “a mass of uprooted trees, torn roofs,...

Before Our Time: A long history in Fuller Mill …

One of my favorite bits of mountain lore is the sad saga of Charles Beverly Hughes. Eldest son of a clergyman in the mountains of...

Before Our Time: Strawberry Plaza’s birth was controversial …

I appreciate the walkable convenience of one-stop shopping at the post office, food markets, bank, pharmacy and library, all situated in and around Strawberry...

Before Our Time: Resident-friendly development of Idyllwild …

As Idyllwild took shape and acquired its unique culture between 1920 and 1960, three developers played central roles. Two are well-known. Claudius Lee Emerson controlled...

Before Our Time: You don’t have to live in Idyllwild to...

Some 32 summer camps have now been documented in the Idyllwild area since 1920. But Idyllwild Institute-Fiesta stands out for its oddly nondescript name. This...

Before Our Time: The history behind family mementos …

Not long ago, my wife was cleaning up an old framed, hand-tinted photograph of a nondescript desert scene, a piece we’d inherited from my...
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