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Channel: Before Our Time – Idyllwild Town Crier
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Before Our Time: Saunders Meadow was more than a road to the transfer station …

  Saunders Meadow has supported educational programs for the past 70 years, but its varied history reaches back far earlier than the 1940s. Thanks in part to recent research by my Idyllwild Area...

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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 lodging, is a recent development....

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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 Hall Canyon, now home to Lake Fulmor and the James...

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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 a single church. There was simply no population...

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Health on the Hill: Our mental health, part 3 …

I would like to take the time to thank the folks who have sent in responses. We appreciate any and all questions and encourage you to share your personal experiences as well. Please understand,...

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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 we had real snow here.”  Never mind that Idyllwild has never had...

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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 parents years ago. Because my father loved the desert, I...

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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 was a program to cultivate leadership and...

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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 Plaza. On the other hand, viewed from...

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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 West Virginia, 37-year-old Hughes left home after his mother’s death....

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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, broken lines, crushed cars and splintered wood.” Six houses...

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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 and massive as the Thomas tree, it stood beside Tahquitz...

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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 strong, and at times superior, competition from...

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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 our past. The society now has a loyal...

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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 downtown and lower Strawberry...

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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 Crier, Idyllwild Mountain Inn, Town Hall, Sportland...

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