135. It’s an age no one lives to and few businesses can survive to. Yet, the Alliance Times-Herald has been able to evolve through Alliance’s history since 1887 and we still continue to provide coverage of local news and events. When Shaun told me that our paper would be celebrating such a large feat this month, I had a lot of different thoughts.
How did we end up purchasing the newspaper almost two years ago to own it during such a large birthday? I also thought about the lives of those who helped make the paper what it is and what it’s always been, a living history of Box Butte County. I also thought about how important newspapers are in towns like Alliance. Some people may not care about the newspaper or what it does, but their descendants may do a genealogy search relating to them and will look through our archives.
The Alliance Times-Herald’s newspapers have been bound into books since the beginning and are housed for restoration at the Knight Museum and Sandhills Center. The museum has also helped us to digitize issues dating from 1887 to 2003, with more digitization of more recent years to happen at a later date.
Shaun and I also had the pleasure of meeting a former employee and his wife from out of town during our recent birthday open house, who told us their stories about their time at the ATH. One of the reasons Shaun and I were drawn to the newspaper was the building. With three floors, the Alliance Times-Herald building has a vast amount of space. Originally built in the 1930s, some of the original craftsmanship is still here, some good and some not so good. We have the beautiful ceiling like Newberry’s has in their banquet room, but it’s covered by industrial tiling and lights. One day I would like to reveal the historic beauty to the light of day again. We have an old linotype printing press in our basement that used to have the last page ever printed on it. We gave the page to the museum to display. Many of you have come in and told me your stories about the dentist’s and doctors’ offices upstairs, the ESU, the Boys Ranch Office and how the American Legion used to meet in the basement.
So not only are the ATH employees part of our history, so are the various employees and clients of the offices upstairs and those active for the American Legion.
In 135 years, we have come a long way. More than most of us would like to think about. I know that most of you may not know me or know what I look like, but know that I care about your town. Shaun and I invested in it. I have heard a lot of people use the phrase “Shop Local.” I would like to see everyone put “Box Butte County First.” If we are truly ‘Building the Best Hometown in America,’ why not put Box Butte County first, so that we can show other towns and communities that we are stronger together and be an example of what a small town should be. The only way locally, family-owned businesses in our county will continue to thrive is with your support.
I’d invite all of you reading this to stop in for a two-week subscription special as an effort of putting Box Butte County first. This special will be the best special we will ever offer. A one-year, home-delivery print subscription for $13.50. You can also stop in and meet me. I design the paper, so I typically don’t see the light of day much or you can email me at athdesign19@gmail.com. I would love to get to know you.