Download - Idyllwild Homes and Land Improvement 2012

Homes & Land ImprovementI D Y L L W I L D 2 0 1 2

Our town: A tradition of community involvementThe building of

Town HallResidents have historically stepped up to join in the effort to improve our town. As the community plans for and works toward building a new community center and playground, we look back on the history of such projects in Idyllwild. Construction of the playground is slated to begin in June, when local builders and organizers will coordinate a workforce of residents who are asked to volunteer their time to build something lasting for the benefit of our town. In 1946, Idyllwild residents set the foundation for this level of community involvement when they gathered to build Town Hall.

By Ernie MaxwellPublished in the EMax Almanac, 1984

Although not entirely completed, the Idyllwild Community Building (now Town Hall) was officially dedicated July 10, 1947, with dancing

to the music of the Mounted Music Makers. Gene Kincaid, chamber president, was master of cer-emonies. Harold Sanborn, chair-man of the build-ing committee, was given a present and a long list of con-tributors to the project was read. A community building was cho-sen as a project late in 1945 after a committee picked to develop an annual Tahquitz Pageant decided a meeting place, rehearsal facility and place for storing costumes came first. The Idyllwild Chamber of Commerce was

incorporated on February 6, 1946, when plans for the building were already underway. At first, it was thought another structure – now Silver

See Town Hall, page 6

Above, Locals worked to finish up the forms for the Town Hall foun-dation in December, 1946.At left, mixing con-crete for the Town Hall foundation (fore-ground, from left), Rol-lin Humber, Chuck Roberts, Vic Poates, Bill Hirsh and Jim Patton.

All photos courtesy of Idyllwild Area Histori-cal Society Museum

INSIDE: Interim Fire Chief Sherman on fire safety and abatement, pg. 4; Winter, where are you? Preparing for a drought, pg. 5; Ask an Expert, pg. 7; and a short history of the Mountains and the community we love, pg. 8

- Idyllwild Home & Land Improvement Guide 2012

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By Grace ReedIdyllwild Town Crier Publisher

With plans to begin construc-tion of the Idyllwild Community Center on everyones’ minds, we thought it would be a good time to revisit the building of Town Hall and the tradition of community involvement and volunteerism in building community resources that last for generations to come. Just as Town Hall, offi cially dedicated in 1947, remains a gathering place for locals today, the creation of a community center in Idyllwild will serve the town for generations, when most of us are long gone. With such a milestone on the horizon, we thoguht it appropriate to not only revisit the building of Town Hall, but the history of our mountains and their occupants. We hope you’ll enjoy the historical articles (on the cover and continued on page 8) that we’ve resurrected here, written by Town Crier founder Ernie Maxwell, and fi nd common threads linking our efforts today with the tradition of involvement that spans our community’s history. We’re proud to be part of a community that can organize the energy and work power needed to execute projects that benefi t us all. In this edition we’re also looking forward at the prospect a potentially volatile fi re season. As we near a dry winter’s end, IFPD Interim Fire Chief Michael Sherman urges the community to use common sense in the forest. Sherman shares helpful hints for abatement for private residents, commercial businesses and vacant lots. See page 4. Pine Cove Water Disrict conservation specialist Vicki Jakubac reminds us that conserving water should be a daily habit and reviews water conservation stages 1 through 3. For that story, see page 5. We’ve added a new feature to this year’s Homes and Land Improvement guide. This year, we asked readers to send us their questions about home improvement and we took them to the experts. You can fi nd those helpful questions and answers on page 7. I’d like to thank our contributors and advertisers that make special publications like this possible, and of course, the entire Town Crier staff for always producing quality publications. Remember, when in doubt hire a professional.

Greetings from Grace

From the archives: Article and photo published in the Town Crier on Sept. 22, 1967

INSIDEThe building of Town Hall, pg. 1Tips from Chief Sherman, pg. 4

Water conservation after a dry winter, pg. 5

Ask an Expert, pg. 7Plants for your local garden, pg. 7

The history of our mountains;Settling these Hills & Stories from olden times, pgs. 8-11

Special thanks to our advertisers:Vicki Streeter (2), Idyllwild Glass Company (2), Kintz Construction (2); Pearson Wood Service

(2); Griner Construction (3), Forest Lumber (4); Hemet Fireplace (5); Diamond Valley Union 76 (6); The Eviction Center (7); Mountain Communities Fire Safe Council (7); Harold Voorhies (8); Chris Skeeters (8); Espinoza Firewood (8); Ballard Gas (8); Townsend Construction (9); Rainbow Gut-ters (9); Pine Cove Water District (9); Deborah

Geisinger (9); Patty Perez (9); Frey’s Antiques (10); Custom Choice Insurance (10); Suburban Propane

(10); Chaney’s Plumbing (10); Idyllwild Garden Club (11); Padgett Design (11); Mike Reno (11); Mountain’s Edge Landscaping (11); Acorn Pest

Control (11) and Village Hardware (12)

Idyllwild Home & Land Improvement Guide 2012 -


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Sitting around the campfire by Michael B. Sherman, Interim Fire Chief

vacant lot or a residence. So, what might common sense look like in our for-est? If you are admiring your beautiful piece of property, look up, look down and look all around. If you look up, check your rain gutters and roof for pine needles and debris. While still looking up, check the condition of your chimney screen. Are tree limbs hanging onto the roof or into the reach of embers from your fire place? When was the last time your chimney was cleaned? Is your roof constructed of flammable material? If your eaves have openings, are they screened? What is the condition of the paint on the siding and eaves? When you look down, are you standing in light flashy fuels (grass and light vegetation)? Does that fuel run con-tiguously to larger flammable materials such as woodpiles, the siding of outbuildings, under wood decks or to the house walls? Are other stacked or piled flammable materi-als close to outbuildings or the sides of the house? When you look all around, can you see through the forest near your home? If you can’t, why not? Is it the tremendous density of the trees and bushes? If so, do you know that extremely dense forested areas are often less healthy and are overly subject to stress and dying than a properly thinned forest? Is your view restricted because of low hanging branches from large trees that intertwine with lower vegetation to create what are called ladder fuels? Is your access to your property just barely wide enough for your small car to get to the property? How about a fire engine or ambulance? Is your address posted in a highly visible area? If many of the above conditions apply to your prop-erty, consider both the effect those things could have on your safety as well as the safety of the community and its residents. If common sense prevails and individuals take

necessary steps to mitigate the above conditions we will all live a happier life in the forest. If not, those charged with enforcement, the U.S. Forest Service, CAL FIRE and Idyllwild Fire will find it necessary to be the mediator for the good of the community. I personally have always favored using the carrot instead of the stick, so please use some common sense and help our mountain forest remain healthy for all to enjoy. If you need help in being fire safe, please contact the above agencies, Forest Care or the Mountain Communities Fire Safe Council. They really are available to help make this community a safer place. Also, remember your neighbors. Sometimes individuals for one reason or another (disabled, elderly, or finances) can’t help themselves as easily as many of us can. When possible, lend a hand or let others know of the need. We truly are blessed to live or visit our mountain forest, so let’s extend that blessing to others by doing our part to be a fire safe community. If a catastrophic fire consumes our forest, the flora, fauna, wild critters, our pets, the community, and we will all suffer loss. That loss will be the loss of the pleasure of living in this beautiful environ-ment. And by the way, campfires in Idyllwild are restricted to campgrounds and during high fire danger season, re-stricted entirely. Check with the fire department for more information. It’s time to put out the dog and douse the fire.


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By Vicki JakubacOffi ce Assistant/Conservation SpecialistPine Cove Water District

With spring just around the corner, one might wonder,what has become of winter? While the limited snow shoveling and mild temperatures have been enjoyable, the reality is that we have not received a lot of moisture this winter. This summer, we will see the results of a dry winter. When water is abundant and we leave the water conservation stages, it is easy to become complacent and fall back into old water use habits. The best way to insure we have adequate amounts of potable water, however, is to conserve year-round, regardless of the conservation stage we may or may not be in. While we are not currently in a formal water conservation stage, conserving water should be a daily habit that everyone adopts. There are many simple steps you can take to reduce water usage indoors. Using low fl ow toilets, shower heads and faucets can help save water on a daily basis. Fixing leaky plumbing, washing only full loads in the dishwasher and using water-saving appliances, such as front-loading washing machines and hot water recycling systems, also help to keep water usage at a minimum. Turn off the tap while shaving or brushing your teeth. Try taking a navy shower: wet down, turn off the water while you scrub, then turn on again for a quick rinse. When waiting for the water from a tap to get hot, remember to collect and use it for your pets, watering plants, cooking or cleaning. Do not just let it run down the drain. There are also many ways we can save water outside. The addition of a rain water harvesting system virtu-ally can provide irrigation water for free. An average

Winter, where are you? Water Conservation StagesStage I is voluntary compliance. Customers are asked

to conserve, when possible, the amount of water used for domestic and business purposes. Fix leaky plumbing, prevent irrigation runoff, refrain from washing down sidewalks, driveways and parking areas and avoid sprinkling unplanted areas for dust control. The Pine Cove Water District encour-ages customers to add mulch to their trees and garden to minimize outside watering. The district also provides bark mulch to all Hill residents at no charge.

Stage II is mandatory compliance. Customers are re-quired to limit irrigation of outdoor plants and gardens between 6 p.m. and 8 a.m. daily and stop all water runoff. Customers cannot fi ll or refi ll swimming pools except the small amount needed to replace evaporation in already fi lled pools. Vehicles can only be washed using a bucket and a hose with a shut-off nozzle. Immediate repairs must be made to any and all leaking water lines and faucets in household plumbing and yard piping. Customers must also cease watering native vegetation and unplanted areas for dust control. Restaurants shall only provide drinking water to patrons upon specifi c request.

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1,000-square-foot roof will yield over 600 gallons of water for each 1 inch of rain received. Adding compost to the soil in your yard and putting a layer of mulch around trees and plants will help retain water and improve soil quality. Group plants with similar water needs together and dig basins around individual plants and trees to prevent run off while watering. Do not plant new plants in the heat of summer. Wait until fall when the cool weather and winter rains can help plants became established. A container garden, using self-watering containers such as EarthBOXes, helps reduce the amount of ir-rigation needed. Consider installing a drip irrigation system or soaker hoses and do outside watering in the early morning or late evening in order to minimize water evaporation. You can also plant native plants that have low water requirements once established and reduce your outside water use even more. Conserving water today helps to assure we will have an adequate water supply for tomorrow and for many years to come.


Town HallContinued from page 1

Pines – could be remodeled and upgraded. However, during the early part of 1946 a major-ity of those present at a meeting of the chamber in the Idyllwild Inn voted to start with a new structure. The site was donated by the Idyllwild All Year Resort

Company. On Dec. 5, 1946, the town closed down so that everyone could help pour concrete for the basement and foundation. A group of women prepared lunch and dinner for the scores of men and one woman – Vi Taylor – who mixed and poured concrete for five mixers. Later, the name Town Hall became the official title for the building.

In 1954 there was a big “Burn-The-Mortgage” dinner at Town Hall to clear the last debt on the community building. The ISOMATA band provided music.

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Cedar Street was bustling with activity during Town Hall construction in 1946. All photos courtesy of Idyllwild Area Historical Society Museum

One of the volunteer crews that poured the foundation and basement fl oor of Town Hall on Dec. 5.

Women preparing lunch for Town Hall foundation crew of 100 workers. The tables are set up in front of the original Rustic Theatre (now the Silver Pines Lodge). Notation on back of photo, “1. Betty Maxwell, 4. Vi Taylor.” If anyone can identify more of the women, please contact the Town Crier.


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radiant wall type) and another is a water heater. As for gas furnaces, the main issue is the heat exchanger, which can crack and leak combustible products, including carbon monoxide, contaminating your heated indoor air. I recommend an annual inspection of any furnace by a licensed heating professional. As for almost any tank water heater, I have seen water heaters last up to 32 years before replacement, but that is rare. I think minerals in the water, how hot the heater-temp is set and how much use it gets, are the main factors at play. A hotter setting will shorten the life of a water heater, but a setting too cool could lead to the buildup of a bacteria that causes legionaires disease if inadvertantly ingested. So play it safe either way. On average, I get around 15 to 20 years on a water heater with a 6-year warranty, but everyone heats and consumes differently. Due diligence looking for water or exhaust leaks is the key to both safety and especially preventing structural water damage.

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Miss California IrisThe Iris is a genus of between 260-300 species of fl owering plants. Bearded iris, like this one, are among the most elegant — and easy to grow — fl owers of spring.

Photo courtesy Brighton Park Iris to Idyllwild Garden Club, Harold Voorheis

Purple Moun-tain Heath is

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Yuletide Camellia is an ever-green shrub that blossoms in late fall through winter. It can grow to 8 feet tall and wide. Camellia needs regular water until established and prefers fi ltered sun to shade. It can cope with many different soil types, but prefers rich organic acid soil. Pruning is best done lightly in early spring before buds form.


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By Ernie MaxwellThe Emax Almanac (1984)

The San Jacinto Mountains are relatively young. It is estimated the range is about 100 million years old and still rising. Like the High Sierras it is created by an up-thrust. According to Dr. Michael Hamilton, [former] director of the University of California James Reserve, the oldest portion of the range is revealed at Red Tahquitz. This coloration indicates the remains of an earlier geological age. Because of location, the San Jacinto Mountains play an important role in Southern California. Rising to almost 11,000 feet, they shield the desert from coastal storms. Mt. San Jacinto, elevation 10,786 feet, can be blanketed in deep snow and ice, while six airline miles to the east Palm Springs basks in warm sunshine. The drop from these peaks to the desert fl oor constitutes one of the sheerest escarpments on the North American continent. For this reason, several life zones are telescoped in to a small area. The zones go from the true desert to the Canadian-Hudsonian. The westerly slopes facing toward the Pacifi c Ocean are less steep. Much of the lower elevation is covered with a variety of rugged shrubs, referred to as chaparral by the Spanish. The Idyllwild area lies in the Transition Zone where brush mingles with pines, oaks and cedars.

A short history of the mountains we love

Trails lead into the high country. The main one is Devil Slide Trail, which enters the wilderness area at Humber Park. Improved trails and wilderness campsites are maintained by both the U.S. Forest Service and Cali-fornia Department of Parks and Recreation. At the highest level is Mt. San Jacinto Wilderness State

Park with only the upper terminal of the tramway at Long Valley to penetrate of the few truly wilderness areas left in Southern California.

Settling the land As is true of all histories, the local story contains numerous gaps and some discrepancies. Some popular notions are accepted as fact, such as the story that Robert F. Garner, Sr., obtained the Thomas Ranch in 1905 on the toss of a pair of dice or a fl ip of a card ... Not necessarily so. Jack Garner said his grandfather never gambled. The truth was that Garner, a San Bernardino stockman, pur-chased 1,600 acres of patented land for $30,000. He shared Thomas’ interest in livestock raising. Con-sequently, he allowed the Thomas family to live on the ranch until 1907 in order to dispose of valuable livestock. Included in the deal were other lands for grazing. When Charles Thomas settled in what is now known as Garner Valley shortly after the Civil War, the property was occupied by Cahuilla Indians. Their village was located at Anza. Nearby is the cemetery where both Ramona and Juan Diego are buried. Later, when the fi rst transconti-nental railroad was pushed through the southwest, the federal government gave the builders every other section of 11 miles on either side of the tracks. Thus, some of the Thomas property was at least temporarily listed as railroad property.

The Lake Hemet Dam, completed in 1895, was considered the highest masonry dam in the world and there was some specula-tion that it could supply domestic water for Los Angeles. Note size of hand-shaped boulders. Town Crier fi le


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The every-other-secton arrangement meant that much of the high country near Idyllwild was actually owned by the Southern Pacifi c. Mt. San Jacinto was railroad property, as were other peaks nearby. They were traded for lands the company considered more valuable. The U.S. Forest Service arranged for some trades, which meant consolidation of sections of the San Jacinto Mountains. As a result, the peaks, Tahquitz Valley and Mt. San Jacinto State Park are now in the public domain. Thomas is generally regarded as the fi rst white settler or non-Indian resident of this area. There were some settlers above Banning, and it is likely trappers were in the area years before looking for pelts. The local grizzly disappeared in the late 1880s through trapping, poisoning and the use of fi rearms. Mrs. Victoria Brooke, one of the last surviving Thomas

Children, said that grizzlies were a problem for livestock people in the early days. She mentioned one old bear – “Old Clubfoot” – that caused considerable damage. The California grizzly became extinct in the 1930s. There is evidence of another settler in what is now the Idyllwild basin, formerly called Strawberry Valley. Beside Tollgate where there was a golf course in the 1930s, a

stone marked the burial site of “R. Garret, died, 1872, at the age of 58.” It was understood that this was the man who refused to pay the freight fee for bringing a plow to the basin from the Hemet or San Jacinto area. He elected to carry the plow up the grade on his back. Stopping to drink the

See History, next page

One of the stages that transported visitors to Idyllwild at the turn of the century.


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HistoryContinued from previous page

cold water from Strawberry Creek, he died on the spot. There are some people who re-called seeing the headstone, but it has apparently disappeared. In 1876, a man by the name of Crawford completed his toll road to the tim-ber country in what is now known as the Idyllwild basin. A group of Los Angeles-area doctors built a large sanitarium that burned to the ground in 1904 after only a few years of operation. It was managed by Mr. and Mrs. Rutledge. The sanitarium was designed for tubercular patients, but at that time detection of the ailment came too late. Consequently, it was discovered that it took more than clean fresh air for a cure. One pioneer observed that patients came up in buck-boards and “were hauled down in boxes.”Nevertheless, the San Jacinto Mountains remain important for persons seeking clean, dry air. After World War II, this area began to boom as more people found it generally “tucked off the beaten path.” The Idyllwild area was included in 4,200 acres purchased in about 1880 by a group of San Jacinto pioneers. They acquired it from the federal government and Southern Pacifi c Company.

The Strong & Dickinson Realty Company of Los Ange-les purchased the property in 1912. The acreage included Pine Cove and Saunders Meadow. In 1917, C.L. Emerson, San Jacinto banker, purchased 1,000 acres from Strong & Dickenson that surrounded the Idyllwild Inn. He organized the Idyllwild Company and sold home sites.

In olden times ... One of the characteristics of old-timers is that they can remember details 50 years earlier, but have a hard time recalling where they put their glasses or keys. Fred Patton was one pioneer who could recall details of this mountain when he came here in the late 1890s

as a 15-year-old, shanghaied from his Sonoma County home to work in local mines. Before he died in 1950, Fred related some of his early experiences here. He remembered Indians telling him that their ancestors fi shed from rocks overlooking the desert. That mean that accounts were handed down from the time that Lake Cahuilla, a body of water extending from the Santa Rosa Mountains to the Salton Sea Sink, existed. The lake was fed for centuries by discharges from the Colorado River. It was 100 mile long, 35 miles across at its widest point and 300 feet deep. It dried up as the Colorado shifted its course, but old beach lines can still be noted in the Coachella Valley.

See Olden Times, next page

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The Idyllwild Sanitarium was erected by a group of Los Angeles area doctors 113 years ago. It burned to the ground in 1904 and was replaced by the Idyllwild Inn. The Inn then burned to the ground in 1945. The site was cleared out and made into Eleanor Park, shown at right in 1967. Jo’An’s Res-taurant now occupies this site. Town Crier fi le photos


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Olden TimesContinued from previous page

Fred’s fi rst job here was to throw rocks at oxen carrying ore from the gold mine near Thomas Mountain. However, gold was not plentiful and Fred turned to splitting cedar logs into posts. Later, be broke horses for Charles Thomas. Thomas and Lucky Baldwin raised blooded cattle and thoroughbred horses in what is now Garner Valley. He recalled the droughts of ’97-’99 when cattlemen burned spines from cacti for livestock forage. Cowboys established summer camps in the high country at Lawes Camp, in Tahquitz Valley and the meadow below Wellman Cienega. Fred remembered when he lost 22 head of cattle from freezing at a point not far above Palm Springs. He could recall clearly the fi rst time he saw Pete Hibbert, veteran Tahquitz Peak lookout, who was an early pioneer. “He was driving a team of mules, one white, one brown.” Lumber in Fred’s early years was sold for $6 per 1,000 board feet and Sam Temple, the man who killed Ramona’s husband, was a teamster hauling lumber to the valley. In his last years, Fred Patton lived in a small cabin beside the Hemet Belle Mine at the edge of Garner Valley. He was certain a vein of rich ore was yet to be discovered. An idea of what Idyllwild was like during the years fol-lowing World War I was recounted by Harry Wendeklen, local postmaster in the 1930s and ’40s. Following discharge from the Signal Corps in WWI, Harry came to California for his health. He migrated to Idyllwild, which was then recognized as a good place for people with respiratory problems.

In 1921, he went to work for a small sawmill located in the center of town. The site is now the Fort, but was a large parking lot in the 1980s. A steam boiler system, established in 1889, was used to heat the existing hotel and three cabins, as well as power the saw mill next door. Logs for the mill were hauled in by horse-drawn wagons. Four horses were required to pull the empty wagon. Later, Harry advanced from mill hand to head boiler engineer. A generator was hooked up to boilers to supply electricity for the new buildings in town. In the daytime he stoked the boilers and at night he tended the lights, which were turned off at 10 p.m., when the whole operation was shut down. On Saturday nights, lights remained on until 11 p.m. After Labor Day, electricity was shut off and almost ev-eryone left the Hill. Harry dropped down to Palm Springs

for winter work at the Desert Inn (now the Fashion Plaza in the center of town). The Banning-Idyllwild highway was dedicated three times before it was paved and offi cially opened for traffi c in 1951. The most interesting ceremony took place on May 11, 1947, at Stone Creek amid jingling spurs, high stepping horses, Swiss music, speeches and selection of Queen-For-The-Day. To add to the event, snow fell the night before, leaving about six inches on the festival grounds, which was the site of Stone Creek Lodge, owned by Dave Frey. The highlight was the arrival of a group of “Pony Ex-press” riders from Banning who made the 22-mile trip in two hours. They were met by a colorful array of riders from the Mt. San Jacinto Horsemen’s Association.

This rooftop scene is a “Richtfest” which occurred in February of 1973 in Pine Cove. Observing European customs, owners Don Hart, Lynnda Hart, Wanda Alles and Col. George Alles (front row) decorated a tree on the ridgepole of their new home and threw a party for the construction crew. Pictured with the Harts and Alles are Jim Payne (far left, front row), Johnnie Mack and Chuck Clayton (middle row) and Don Price, Bob Thomas, Ben Jones and Phil Hodges (back row). In Europe it’s said that if you don’t give a party for the workmen, they will put strange things in the walls which make funny sounds when the wind blows.Town Crier fi le/Norwood Hazard


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