130 Years Ago
January 31, 1896
Arthur Brann has left school to assist his father in the grocery store.
125 Years Ago
February 1, 1901
Art Layton, a thirteen-year-old boy, was the victim to a peculiar accident Tuesday. While riding in a wagon to which he had a dog harnessed, his steed was set upon by other canines, with the result that dog No. 1 became frightened and attempted to run under a dray wagon. The lad was run over and sustained a broken leg in consequence.
120 Years Ago
February 2, 1906
Another little fire loss may be said to be due to the precocious Alliance “kid” and his propensity for rolling “coffin nails” in the alley. Wednesday an alarm of fire was found to be caused by a blaze in the chicken house of Mrs. Lorance, not far from the M. E. church. The home of the chickens was cleaned out, literally and figuratively, and with the wind prevailing it was fortunate other property did not “go up.”
115 Years Ago
January 31, 1911
There has been received in the local Burlington yards an automobile of another sort, this being a track inspection car, with capacity of eight persons, and is for use of Supt. Weidemheimer, while the regular inspection engine, No. 366, has been sent to Havelock shops for overhauling.
110 Years Ago
February 4, 1916
The first ten cars of ice for the Burlington’;s use will reach here tonight from Curtis, Nebr., where the contract has been let for the supply since the washout at the Marsland dam which resulted in the loss of the entire crop.
105 Years Ago
February 1, 1921
A check for $1, payable to W. R. Harper, was received yesterday by Chief of Police Jeffers from D. W. Dickinson, in charge of the Omaha district of the government secret service, reimbursing Mr. Harper for part of the loss he sustained when a smooth crook passed a $1 bill raised to a $10 bill at the Harper department store early in January.
100 Years Ago
February 2, 1926
Practically every village and city in the country is staging fiddlers’ contests and Alliance is to be in the running, if there are enough fiddlers interested to make an evening’s program, according to J. E. Hughes, manager of the Imperial. Every town is coming forth with a champion fiddler and Jim declares that there are just as good fiddlers in Box Butte County as elsewhere.
95 Years Ago
February 3, 1931
Alliance athletic enthusiasts and high school authorities received a double portion in return for an invitation for the holding of one of the regional high school basket ball tournaments in Alliance this spring. Due to its central location Alliance has been selected by the state athletic association as the scene of both the regional and the district high school cage carnivals of this corner of Nebraska.
90 Years Ago
January 31, 1936
Alliance merchants are being warned to inspect the $10 bills they are offered and check them for the possibility that there may be more of the counterfeit currency circulating in the city this week. Two “phoney” bills have been accepted by business houses and were discovered at the banks.
85 Years Ago
January 31, 1941
About 300 of the U. S. army’s newly drafted recruits paraded the streets of Alliance Tuesday afternoon garbed in World War uniforms complete from puttees to “overseas” caps. The soldiers were part of an infantry unit, bound from Camp Custer in Michigan to Puget Sound in Washington.
80 Years Ago
February 1, 1946
The University of Nebraska News reports that both Alliance High School and St. Agnes Academy are accredited at the University. Under the laws of the state of Nebraska the Board of Regents of the University is authorized to prescribe conditions of admission for all persons desiring to enter the University.
75 Years Ago
January 31, 1951
The National Guard caught up with that Times-Herald employee who thought he had escaped for a time, anyway. When he read the planted story a few weeks ago about the Guard being called h at least had a great feeling of relief when he found it wasn’t true that he’d have to report for active duty February 3 – the day before his scheduled marriage February 4.
70 Years Ago
February 3, 1956
Alliance residents were startled late this morning when an Air Force jet bomber roared over town at little more than tree-top level. Observers got only a fleeting glimpse of the plane, but their description indicates it was a 6-jet, swept-wing B-47.
65 Years Ago
February 4, 1961
The demand for labor in the Alliance area was considerably lower in January than in December and in turn, there was an increase of 27 percent among persons seeking employment at the end of January as compared with December 31. During January, the Alliance Employment Office received 52 job openings as compared with 122 during December, 1960, and 163 during January, 1960.
60 Years Ago
February 4, 1966
Frontier Airlines representatives were in Alliance today promoting the carrier’s new half-fare plan to Denver which is on a 3-months trial period. The new standby rate is a revolutionary plan that has the industry watching Frontier’s experience. Paul Lawson, Alliance agent, said today that not too many people had been taking advantage of the $11 rate to Denver from Alliance.
55 Years Ago
February 3, 1971
The first formal negotiations for teacher contracts in the history of the Alliance public schools opened here Tuesday night. Four specific requests were submitted by letter over the signature of the chairman of the Alliance Education Association welfare committee, Mrs. James I., to the 3-man negotiating committee of the Board of Education, John C., Dr. Raymond O. and Lyle S.
50 Years Ago
January 27, 1976
The Alliance chapter of American Field Service (AFS) a foreign student exchange program, is presently seeking applications for families interested in hosting a foreign student in Alliance for the next school year. Hanserack O, from Hosteinsborg, Greenland, is presently living with the Jim P. family near Alliance and attending Alliance High School on the American Field Service program.
45 Years Ago
January 30, 1981
Two area teachers were chosen Outstanding Young Educators for 1981 by their respective Jaycee chapters Thursday night. Sandi P. of Alliance and Susan S. of Hemingford were selected to represent their communities at the state Outstanding Young Educator competition in Omaha on Feb. 20.
40 Years Ago
January 28, 1986
The flu bug began sweeping through Alliance schools last week and has taken a toll this week. A total of about 462 students were out Monday with the flu. There were 385 absent Tuesday. Seventy students were gone from Emerson Elementary Monday. Larry B., principal, said 63 were gone Tuesday. More could have been sent home later that day.
35 Years Ago
January 28, 1991
Alliance Volunteer Fire Fighters and area fire districts fought a feed shed fire Sunday from 7:59 p.m. until 1 a.m. Monday. The fire started from an overheated extension cord which ignited feed sacks and spread to the wooden interior and machinery inside the building.
30 Years Ago
February 3, 1996
Windows in at least 62 vehicles were shot out last weekend according to Alliance Police Chief Robert J. The incidents happened in a short time-frame between last Friday night and Sunday and appear to have been caused by a BB or pellet gun, Robert J. said. “The perpetrators apparently drove around town and shot out the windows at random,” he said. “There was no pattern.”
25 Years Ago
February 1, 2001
A full 1,000-ton capacity fertilizer tank at WESTCO’s northern Alliance storage facility burst at about 2 a.m. Tuesday spilling its contents and damaging two other tanks. The site, located south of New Alliance Bean and Grain, is surrounded by an earthen dam which caught most the fertilizer, WESTCO General Manager Dave B. explained.
20 Years Ago
January 30, 2006
Jane S, former Box Butte County Fair manager who is accused of stealing almost $73,000, is not reported as a missing person, Deb Collins, public information coordinator with the Nebraska State Patrol, said. Jane S, 46, Hemingford, has been reported as a subject who has fled to avoid arrest, Collins said.
15 Years Ago
February 4, 2011
The Alliance City Council brought the Waterfowl Management Policy a step closer to implementation during their regular meeting Thursday. For over 10 years, the City has budgeted and spent approximately $15,000 to monitor water quality and care for Lain Lake.
10 Years Ago
February 1, 2016
Last year saw the Alliance Fire Department’s response to 921 calls. Of these, 602 were for emergency medical services, 106 were for fire incidents and 213 inter-facility transport requests. In 2014, there were 979 – 633 emergency medical, 138 fire, and 208 inter-facility requests.
5 Years Ago
February 3, 2021
The future of Bands on the Bricks Summer Concert Series is uncertain after the Box Butte Development Corporation Board of Directors agreed to seek a new host for the series. BBDC will offer a mini-grant to entities wanting to organize a similar event.
*Compiled from The Alliance Times-Herald Archives by Christine Melcher