Robert Smith
Before our Time: Nostalgic for snow storms?
When snow is as scarce as it’s been for the past 20 months, long-time Hill residents begin to pine for those old-time storms, “when...
Before Out Time: Churches eventually become part of Idyllwild …
Amid a profusion of religious ceremony during the Christmas season, it may come as a surprise that throughout its first half-century, Idyllwild had not...
Before our Time: Sawmills were common in the forest …
Between 1875 and 1900 loggers and sawmills were the dominant human activity in the San Jacinto Mountains. They appeared first on Indian Creek in...
Before Our Time: Before the Creekstone Inn? Food …
The Creekstone Inn has dominated the four-way stop called Fern Valley Corners since 1947; but its current identity, as Chris Singer’s elegant, 20-year-old tourist...
Before Our Time: Saunders Meadow was more than a road ...
Saunders Meadow has supported educational programs for the past 70 years, but its varied history reaches back far earlier than the 1940s. Thanks in...
Before Our Time: Desert Sun School
For nearly a century teaching and learning have been major activities in and around Idyllwild. Among the schools and camps responsible, one of the...
Before Our Time: Drought is nothing new here …
“O, sunset land! O, sunset land!
As on thy highest mount I stand,
I look away across the plain,
And wonder will it ever rain.”
Thus did J.P....
Before our Time: Electricity on the Hill — fragile …
The recent power outages due to high winds or scheduled maintenance should remind us, even today, not to take the centralized electrical grid for...
Before Our Time: The post office, a multi-tasking service …
The post office has long been a favorite spot for locals to see friends, spread information and gossip, and hold impromptu conferences.
A 1922 photo...
Before our time: Libraries in Idyllwild: past and present …
Like a growing number of Hill residents, I’ve been spending more time lately at our public library. Its move to Strawberry Plaza in 2012...