Before Our Time: Idyllwild furniture …

Between 1925 and 1960, Idyllwild became widely known as a center for the manufacture of craftsman-style furniture. Hal Holcomb, “the Rustic Man,” started it...

Before Our Time: Homes evolve, too …

One of the charms of living here on the Hill is the welcome absence of typical Southern California tract housing. As soon as I...

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: The Chef in the Forest …

A Minnesota reader, fondly recalling childhood vacations here, recently sparked my curiosity about one of Idyllwild’s more outlandish characters. In January 1966, Warren Jacober...

Before Our Time: By Robert B. Smith

With Avery Field’s photography, others saw Idyllwild … Picture postcards are an ever-popular item in scenic areas such as Idyllwild. We certainly have had our...

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: 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: Before Kwikset came

You can’t commute from Fern Valley or walk about town these mild summer mornings for very long without noticing the seemingly abandoned scatter of...

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

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: Lawler Lodge …

Lawler Lodge, on Highway 243 in Dark Canyon, is one of the more obscure landmarks in our mountains. Its namesake, however, was anything but...
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