70 years ago – 1948 The Sportland amusement center burned to the ground. 65 years ago – 1953 Forty volunteer searchers combed the hills of upper Fern Valley searching for a 7-year-old girl who had wandered off with her dog. She was found in the middle of the night curled up asleep in the middle…
70 years ago – 1948 “Don’t look for the Town Crier next week,” advised the editor. “We’re skipping every other week to do our winter chores.” 65 years ago – 1953 The Marais-Miranda folk opera “African Heartbeat” premiered at the Bowman, but the weather was so cold the audience huddled in blankets. 60 years ago…
70 years ago – 1948 The PTA raised $150 at its first Hill social event. 65 years ago – 1953 The thunderstorm that drenched Idyllwild proceeded northward, leaving 300 lightning strikes in the Six Rivers National Forest. 60 years ago – 1958 Charlotte Gorzny, an eager youthful reader, read 47 books to top all other…
70 years ago – 1948 At long last, a suitable place was found for a mountain branch of the county library — a small building on the Fern Valley Lodge property. Volunteer librarians were being sought. 65 years ago – 1953 Sierra Club members of the rock-climbing division again tackled Tahquitz Rock. Several new routes…
70 years ago – 1948 More than 100 people attended the town’s Old Time Dance. 65 years ago – 1953 An electrical storm roared through the night, starting eight fires and depositing 0.84 inches of rain that raised Strawberry Creek 2 feet. 60 years ago – 1958 Max and Bee Krone were collaborators on “The…
70 years ago – 1948 The district school board accepted a bid of $80,272 for a new Idyllwild School building. Work was to be completed in six months. 65 years ago – 1953 The first production of a Shakespearean play in the history of Idyllwild occurred when “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” was presented at the…
70 years ago – 1948 Formal opening ceremonies were to be held to mark the completion of the Banning-Idyllwild Highway. 65 years ago – 1953 The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Geological Survey Division began a project to map inaccessible areas in the local mountains. 60 years ago – 1958 The Idyllwild Chamber of Commerce…
70 years ago – 1948 Ernie Maxwell, in a demur bathing suit of the 1890s complete with black stockings, limped into third place in the Businessman’s Committee’s bearded bathing beauty contest. 65 years ago – 1953 The first thunder shower of the season left 0.35 inches of moisture and started four forest fires. 60 years…
70 years ago – 1948 A surprised carpenter, visiting from Pomona, won a new Ford in the Gold Strike celebration. His winning ticket was pulled from the 4,750 sold. 65 years ago – 1953 A three-man survey crew headed into the hot wilderness to determine the number of bighorn sheep in game refuge 4-D. 60…
70 years ago – 1948 Five new street lights were installed in Pine Cove by the Improvement Club. 65 years ago – 1953 Paul and Alma Wood came to Idyllwild on their honeymoon and decided to stay. So they opened a self-service laundry. 60 years ago – 1958 Lots at Tahquitz Lake Estates were going…
