130 Years Ago
February 23, 1894
Like nearly all the cities of Nebraska, Alliance has been re-rated by the insurance companies at considerable an advance. All the agents here have recently been furnished a schedule of the new rates, which went into effect February 15th.
125 Years Ago
February 24, 1899
Geo. S. Sutton came to town Monday forenoon for attention to a wound, made by a revolver in the hands of Harmon H. Frazier, some ten miles northeast of here that morning. We know nothing of the actual facts, and the story of the defense will not be made known until the case is tried in district court.
120 Years Ago
February 19, 1904
Albert McCool, who has been employed here the past four years or more, recently fireman on the Denver passenger, and nearly ready for advancement to a place as engineer, met with a most unfortunate accident in the yards here yesterday morning. As alighting to throw a switch, his foot slipped from the engine step and he was thrown to the ground, one of the tender wheels passing over his right foot and crushing the instep and heel so badly that amputation was deemed necessary and the operation performed immediately by the company surgeons.
115 Years Ago
February 19, 1909
James Graham has closed a deal with W. D. Rumer whereby the south portion of the building at the corner of Box Butte Avenue and Montana street has been eased for the grocery store of the former for a term of three years. Mr. Rumer has torn the iron shed in the rear down, will paint and otherwise improve the place, and expects to have it ready for the Graham store by March 1st.
110 Years Ago
February 20, 1914
Commissioners Wanek and Hashman are expected back Saturday from their three weeks Eastern trip, while member S. C. Reck of the board arrived in Alliance Wednesday of the week. Their trip in behalf of courthouse furniture and other county matters has taken them as far East as Cleveland, Ohio.
105 Years Ago
February 21, 1919
On investigation of city officials it develops that the new cement smoke stack recently erected at the light plant at a cost of $3200 is not up to the specifications and it is a serious question if the stack will hold up once the heat is turned in.
100 Years Ago
February 15, 1924
The Box Butte county commissioners are going to Lincoln next week to put in a bid on the Alliance-Hemingford road project with the intention of getting the job if the price goes over 20 cents a yard for moving the dirt. The contract on the Potash highway in Box Butte county was let for 40 cents and while this was an exorbitant price, it has been said that the contractor lost money because of delay in completing the work.
95 Years Ago
February 21, 1929
The freight rate on a ton of coal from the Wyoming fields to Alliance is $3.60, just about the highest rate in the west. The city has paid this rate for a long time without a whimper, but the time has come to ask why we should pay 50 cents more freight on a ton of coal than Omaha pays when it is away less than half the distance.
90 Years Ago
February 20, 1934
CWA payroll reduction ordered by state and national administration officers for Alliance and Box Butte county was still a threat today to a number of project proposals in the absence of word of any changes in the allocation from Lincoln. Such proposals as the building of a municipal swimming pool and the park improvement about the courthouse the new amusement park, much road work in the county and other jobs were decidedly “up in the air” because of the sharp reduction in jobs for this region.
85 Years Ago
February 21, 1939
Roy Merwek and his wife, of Hemingford, en route home from the picture show in Alliance, ran into a cow on highway No. 2 about 3 miles northwest of here last night. Both the car and cow went into the ditch. While Roy stayed to guard the damaged auto, Mrs. Merwek caught a ride back to Alliance and got Sheriff Dan Hoppes. The sheriff examined the cow, decided it would have to be shot, but just as he drew his gun, the critter, a disapproving look in its eye, staggered to its feet and ambled away. Hoppes shooed the cow into an adjoining field.
80 Years Ago
February 22, 1944
County Treasurer Russel Melick acting with County Attorney Leo M. Bayer started preparation today the detailed listing of real estate property upon which delinquent taxes have not been paid for a period of three years. This order passed by the legislative session of 1943, makes it mandatory upon the county treasurer to present this list to the county commissioners on or before March 1 for their review.
75 Years Ago
February 22, 1949
The Fifth Army which commanded the assault on snowbound Western Nebraska is on the way out! Word received today ordered the closing of the headquarters office in the City building at 6 p.m. Wednesday. The office will be shifted to Cheyenne where “snow-busting” operations in Wyoming are in progress. Life, they saw, in once paralyzed, disrupted Nebraska was returned to normal.
70 Years Ago
February 20, 1954
Five teams of businessmen reported “encouraging” results today in efforts to increase facilities at the Sandhillo race track. Plans call for the issuing of bonds at 6 per cent interest, to buy a $1,200 lighting system and double the present 1,000-seat capacity of the grandstand for Sandhillo can accommodate a greater variety of outdoor attractions—such as the Alliance Rodeo, circuses, car races, stock and horse shows and other events that will bring people to Alliance for entertainment.
65 Years Ago
February 21, 1959
Persons from over the Panhandle thronged Alliance today for the final day of the big Dollar Days sale, Friday morning a good turnout was reported but this crowd slacked somewhat during the afternoon.
60 Years Ago
February 19, 1964
In a busy meeting Thursday evening the Alliance City Council accepted what was considered an attractive bond bid for 1963 paving. Eight proposals were received on the $120,000 of bonds it will be necessary for the City to issue on 1963 intersection and district paving.
55 Years Ago
February 21, 1969
Oil drilling activity in Northwest Nebraska continues, with nine dry holes, including three in Box Butte County reported to date—and no “black gold.”
50 Years Ago
February 21, 1974
Directors of the Western Nebraska United Chambers of Commerce met in Alliance Wednesday afternoon and gave final approval to the assessment plan to raise $5,000 pledged by the organization to the Fort Robinson Centennial committee. Newly-installed president, Times-Herald publisher Keith Kemper, presided at the session attended by eight member towns.
45 Years Ago
February 21, 1979
As a result of action taken by two of the Box Butte County Commissioners during a Tuesday afternoon meeting, Ed Wilkins, county road commissioner for the past six months, has been relieved of his duties. The action came on a 2-1 vote by the commissioners, with Commission Chairman Leslie Stull and Cliff Bartels voting in favor of the move and John Ditsch opposing it.
40 Years Ago
February 21, 1984
This summer eighth-grade teacher Gail McMurtrey will lead a delegation of ambassadors on a seven-city tour. The Alliance Middle School history instructor was chosen from social studies teachers across the state to head up the group.
35 Years Ago
February 21, 1989
The Alliance School Board approved an asbestos removal bid of $41,925 from Intermountain Technical Services in Rapid City during its Monday night meeting at the administration office. The firm will remove easily crumbling asbestos from the district’s school buildings.
30 Years Ago
February 21, 1994
Alliance will be the site of one of three Wheat Technology Conferences to be held this week. Speakers will be Dr. Elizabeth Klepper, a USDA wheat Physiologist from Oregon and Dr. Stephen Baenziger, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln plant breeder.
25 Years Ago
February 20, 1999
The Panhandle Humane Society is sponsoring the annual Panhandle Spay week from Monday through Friday. In the past, one day had been set aside to do the spay surgeries, but most clinics now choose to do it for a week so that a large back log of surgeries didn’t have to be performed in one day.
20 Years Ago
February 21, 2004
Alliance Public Schools has had an early childhood program for more than 20 years, most recently in the form of Kiddie Kampus and Family Connections Even Start. Today, those programs have been replaced with the Alliance Early Childhood Program—a preschool that, according to its mission statement, strives to ensure that children from categorically and economically diverse groups have access to a research-based, effective, developmentally-appropriate preschool program, with a strong emphasis on family participation.
15 Years Ago
February 21, 2009
The Nebraska Legislature is one third done with this year’s legislative session. There are roughly five weeks of hearings left and then all day debate on the floor begins. On Wednesday, Sen. LeRoy Louden introduced a resolution to recognize Sydney Swanson of Alliance. Swanson was recognized on a national level for her exemplary volunteer service with a 2009 Prudential Spirit of Community Award.
10 Years Ago
February 21, 2014
Approved by City Council Tuesday, Alliance’s One and Six Year Street Improvement Plan features continuations of several major projects. The recently completed phase one of the downtown streetscape will be followed by phase two in the 300 and 400 blocks of Box Butte.
5 Years Ago
February 21, 2019
During its meeting on Monday evening, the Alliance School Board discussed the status of the Grandview HVAC project with the new engineer submitting initial drawings for review.