70 years ago – 1950Hunter McConnell, co-chairman of the local Disaster Committee, announced that he was accepting volunteers for lookout or fire-watching duty. About 35 people were needed so that each lookout would work only one night per week. 65 years ago – 1955Development of the exclusive Tahquitz Lake Club was moving ahead rapidly on…
70 years ago – 1950A Town Crer story, “We’re News in New York,” informed readers that a recent New York Herald editorial urged Secretary of the Interior Chapman to defend the San Jacinto wild area from “the encroachment of those who would threaten a great wilderness now successfully preserved.” 65 years ago – 1955A record…
70 years ago – 1950The Fern Valley Lodge was selling “fine diners” for only $1 per meal. 65 years ago – 1955Hemet Unified School District (HUSD) provided a bus to take Idyllwild students to football games in Hemet. 60 years ago – 1960Although the Forest Service had not declared the Keen Camp guard station as…
70 years ago – 1950Plans for state riding and hiking trails received a boost when portions of the local trail system were inspected and found to be favorable. 65 years ago – 1955Desert Sun School over Saunders Meadow Way reopened with one of the largest enrollments in its history. 60 years ago – 1960It was…
70 years ago – 1950Upon completion of the architectural drawings for the workshops and studios of the Idyllwild School of Music and the Arts (now Idyllwild Arts Academy), construction began. 65 years ago – 1955After four years of planning for zoning despite continuous opposition, the County Planning Commission adopted a master plan for the mountain…
70 years ago – 1950Because of the increasing mountain population and the heavier downstream needs, it was estimated that the community would soon need an another 7 billion gallons of water. 65 years ago – 1955After receiving a $4,000 appropriation for campground improvement, District Ranger John Gilman, U.S. Forest Service, began planning an improvement program,…
70 years ago – 1950A new attraction at the Labor Day carnival was Zeke’s hayride. A team of six horses pulled the wagon and took children on free rides. 65 years ago – 1955After a cool summer, September arrived with a blazing 96 degrees. 60 years ago – 1960Joe and Leona McGaugh sold the Idyllwild…
70 years ago – 1950Angling in the area had never been so good. More than 9,000 catchable-sized trout had been planted in lakes Hemet and Fulmor. 65 years ago – 1955The Idyllwild Fire Protection District’s educational program was very effective. This year, the number of fire losses on the Hill was fewer than the year…
70 years ago – 1950 Les Selander was directing a Western film in Idyllwild with “so many cowhands in jingling spurs clomping through the village.” 65 years ago – 1955 At Dutton’s Corner Store in Fern Valley, 3 pounds of tomatoes were being sold for 19 cents. 60 years ago – 1960 Despite a move…
70 years ago – 1950 Trail improvements, the stringing of a phone line from Tahquitz Peak to Round Valley, campsite maintenance and the building of a well were just some of the projects underway at the Mt. San Jacinto State Park. 65 years ago – 1955 High up on the wooded slopes of Strawberry Valley,…
