130 Years Ago
July 26, 1895
John Lunsford, the Lakeside merchant, was in Alliance Tuesday morning to see Dr. Barr regarding his shoulder, which was dislocated while boxing the night before.
125 Years Ago
July 27, 1900
The Cullens’ Bros. Circus gave performances on the commons west of Alliance last Friday and Saturday. Though not a large concern, they have some very fair performers, and as a whole their entertainments were sufficiently meritorious to satisfy the expectations of the public in general.
120 Years Ago
July 25, 1905
Postmaster Tash has received notification from the department that allowance has been made for another clerk making four persons, including the Postmaster, who will be employed henceforth in the Alliance office.
115 Years Ago
July 29, 1910
Mrs. A. K. Lore who has been suffering with tuberculosis of the knee, was operated on the latter part of last week and is now greatly improved. She left this week for her home 30 miles southeast of this city.
110 Years Ago
July 27, 1915
“Leaning on the hoe” without too much accent on the “lean” will be the popular pastime among Alliance men and farmers this week when they go out with turned-up sleeves to fix the roads leading to Alliance.
105 Years Ago
July 27, 1920
A few hours’ separation showing a family quarrel, the arrest of the husband on a charge of abandonment and an affecting reconciliation in county court yesterday were swift chapters in the domestic history of Sterling D. Elliott and his wife, Virginia Elliott.
100 Years Ago
July 28, 1925
Alliance has long been known as the medical center of the western half of Nebraska and adjoining states. It has won this reputation on the ability and integrity of some of the leading physicians and surgeons in the city and because of the hospital, which is known to be one of the best and most complete in the country.
95 Years Ago
July 25, 1930
The purchase of Turcott lake 20 miles south of Alliance by the state parks commission for fishing purposes was authorized this week, according to announcement received here. The purchase price was fixed at $10 an acre.
90 Years Ago
July 26, 1935
Dr. C. T. Louden, 53-year-old groom of a Saturday marriage in Alliance, who was taken from his wife, 21, by authorities, returned again Tuesday night from Chadron to rejoin his bride. Louden was arrested here on a long distance telephone call from Crawford police who said they wanted him for “jumping” a hotel board and room bill.
85 Years Ago
July 26, 1940
The fifth free milk cow of a series of eight being given away by the local dairy improvement association through the sponsorship of over 130 Alliance merchants proved difficult to award this afternoon.
80 Years Ago
July 27, 1945
A special meeting of the housing committee of the Chamber of Commerce and representatives of the city’s women’s clubs Thursday afternoon was told frankly that to date Alliance has failed to meet the demands of enlisted men for apartments.
75 Years Ago
July 28, 1950
The Alliance city council Thursday night voted City Manager R. W. Laing authority to terminate the city’s authority to terminate Service as operator of the municipal airport and to negotiate with George B. Manes of Lincoln to take over the operation.
70 Years Ago
July 29, 1955
That wasn’t a riot or gangster fight early this morning in Alliance. The racket that sounded like gunfire – cannon fire, some people thought – came from fireworks, police reported this morning.
65 Years Ago
July 29, 1960
Fifty-eight full time city employees will receive a 4.42 percent increase in salary August 1 as a result of City Council approval Thursday evening of a new salary scale. The salary hikes will cost the city an additional $857.50 per month and are provided for in the city budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
60 Years Ago
July 28, 1965
The Box Butte County Selective Service pool now has only one man examined and acceptable for induction into service, a check with the office disclosed today. This, however, is typical of the condition existing here in recent months. July and August calls have been for only one man each, and calls are being met.
55 Years Ago
July 28, 1970
The U.S. Census takers sent some disheartening news Alliance’s way within the last week by announcing the loss of population here the last decade had exceeded 1,000 persons. Monday night, a Burlington-Northern official told the Rotary Club that this new merged railroad is in the process of getting Alliance some of this population back.
50 Years Ago
July 26, 1975
Two Alliance men and a Minatare man survived a crash of a Burlington Northern freight train and feed tank truck Friday afternoon in southeast Minatare. John Shires, 56, was the engineer and Bill Yeager, 28, brakeman, both of Alliance, were tossed about as the engine rolled two and one-half times after hitting the truck at 2:10 p.m. The driver of the truck, Gary Cowen, 28, survived by jumping from the cab prior to impact.
45 Years Ago
July 25, 1980
Alliance’s city library, in its new Slagle Memorial location, is setting “circulation” records. Warm summer days are drawing such crowds of children to the city swimming pool that at times admissions have to be halted.
40 Years Ago
July 25, 1985
The status of what will happen to the Alliance Jaycee Jills chapter is “still up in the air” after a meeting Wednesday night between members of the Jills and the Alliance Jaycees.
35 Years Ago
July 26, 1990
Momentum is gaining for the Alliance Park Board as it advances toward its goal of $35,000 in the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum (NSA) Landscape Grant Program. Alliance is one of 29 communities selected from a field of 62 applicants to participate in the program.
30 Years Ago
July 26, 1995
The beginning of the school year is an exciting time for most students and teachers – meeting new friends, seeing old friends, seeking out new opportunities for a fresh new school year. The beginning of the 1995-96 school year will be an exciting time for Dave Ocken, the new principal at Emerson Elementary School.
25 Years Ago
July 26, 2000
Below a bent neon sign that once guided guests to its lobby, Wayne McLaughlin unlocks the former Drake Hotel’s front door and the building’s potential. Local businessman John Perrin donated the three-story historic building to the Main Street Players earlier this year, to be transformed into a performing arts theatre.
20 Years Ago
July 26, 2005
The County Commissioner’s met during an emergency session yesterday to discuss the problem of phone lines that were blown out in the courthouse’s offices due to last week’s power outage. The commissioners’ main issue was deciding whether or not this was considered an emergency.
15 Years Ago
July 27, 2010
On Saturday, the 2010 Heritage Days Parade had four winning floats this year. The colorful Western Heritage Credit Union float and the boogie-woogie Alliance Physical Therapy float tied for first place in the commercial float division.
10 Years Ago
July 27, 2015
An Alliance police car was vandalized in the 1000 Block of Big Horn Avenue at about 1:30 a.m. on July 25. An unknown suspect threw a large piece of concrete through the rear window of the parked police car while officers were answering a call for service nearby.
5 Years Ago
July 29, 2020
Belt is on his way to serve a term in the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services after being sentenced on Wednesday in a case where he was originally charged with attempted murder. The case arises from an incident on Dec. 24, 2019, according to the Affidavit for Custody.
*Compiled from The Alliance Times-Herald Archives by Christine Melcher