130 Years Ago
March 6, 1896
Banks Stewart’s latest advertising scheme is some county seat poetry, which is recited by his phonograph for the benefit of all who desire. He is entertaining a great many people with the machine too, by the way.
125 Years Ago
March 8, 1901
As may be seen by the dissolution notice in this paper, W. C. Mounts has disposed of his interest in the barber shop. Just what line of business Will intends launching into, he has not made known to the writer, but it is our opinion that he will make a change of some kind.
120 Years Ago
March 6, 1906
Mr. Mover was here from Crawford Sunday, getting his telephone line in shape again after the storm. It stayed up during the first part of the storm and was of material benefit to the railroad company, being used one day for the running of trains after the telegraph wires were down.
115 Years Ago
March 7, 1911
Enoch Boyer made purchase from an agent this week of the Marion car driven here a few days ago, same being a five-passenger automobile of neat design. Mr. Boyer has taken the agency for this section.
110 Years Ago
March 10, 1916
Alliance is getting wide publicity from all directions due to the activity in the potash and soda deposits found in abundance in the many lakes in this immediate vicinity. The rapid advance in the price of potash products has made the industry a profitable one. The war has boosted the price several hundred percent and made it possible for the local concerns to work the lakes at a profit.
105 Years Ago
March 11, 1921
Considerable interest is being shown in the Case Tractor school of instruction which opened a three-day session in the Rumer building yesterday. The school is being conducted under the supervision of N. B. Weyand and Edward Lacken. By the use of lantern slides, accompanied by explanatory addresses by these two men, every point of interest in the prper operation of Case tractors is thoroughly covered.
100 Years Ago
March 12, 1926
If there is any doubt in your mind as to who is responsible for a motor car collision when one backs from the curb and strikes another in the street, you need no longer labor under any misunderstanding. “The law plainly states that the responsibility rests with the person who backs from the curb, the alley or the station in case of a collision,” stated Judge Tash.
95 Years Ago
March 10, 1931
When a peanut vendor indicates that he might be interested in locating in Alliance, the reception committee usually welcomes him with open arms. A multi-millionaire natural gas man, wishing to invest upwards of half a million, should at least be asked to step inside out of the cold until we can ascertain if we want natural gas or not.
90 Years Ago
March 3, 1936
Two additional contributions to the milk and cracker fund for undernourished school children have been acknowledged. Dr. W. B. Williams, Junior Chamber of Commerce committee chairman, announced gifts of $3.58, increasing the total of this year’s contributions to $126.75. One week the expense totaled $19 for the five schools.
85 Years Ago
March 7, 1941
Box Butte County has the unenviable reputation of having more juvenile delinquents than any other county in the state. While 90 percent of the blame for such a record must be charged to parents, fixing blame won’t correct the record. Our boys and girls are far too valuable for us to sit idly by and watch them destroy their future health and happiness without doing something about it.
80 Years Ago
March 8, 1946
Approval of the Burlington Trailways’ petition to extend their bus line from Broken Bow to Alliance is expected within 30 days, following a day-long hearing held last week at Lincoln. Representatives of the railroad, the bus system, interested persons from towns all along the route, and others appeared before the Nebraska Railroad Commission.
75 Years Ago
March 5, 1951
Residents of an Alliance apartment house heard a telephone ringing in a neighbor’s apartment Sunday. They heard the ringing for what they thought was longer than the usual time, and at last took up a count. It’ll be hard to believe, but after the count was taken up the phone rang – uninterruptedly – 178 consecutive times. Just then the occupants of the apartment returned home from church and answered the phone.
70 Years Ago
March 7, 1956
A grand opening of its new headquarters is schedule for Friday by the Panhandle Rural electric Membership Association. Panhandle Electric last week moved into the new headquarters at Fourth and Black Hills Avenue. For nearly 10 years its office has been at 210 West Third Street.
65 Years Ago
March 6, 1961
The City of Alliance amended the petition today in its “restitution of premises” suit against Airport Operator Byron J. Appleby and indicated that its case before a County Court jury Tuesday will be prosecuted on a single cause of action: Alleged back rentals.
60 Years Ago
March 7, 1966
Bill Campbell Motors, Alliance’s Chevrolet, Oldsmobile and Cadillac dealer, is giving away a colored TV set as a grand prize and features new and used car values in a special section that is part of today’s Times-Herald.
55 Years Ago
March 9, 1971
A “ground branding” was presided over in the 400 block on Niobrara Avenue this morning by Nebraska Secretary of State Allan Beerman to mark the location of the new Nebraska Brand Committee headquarters. Using a gold – electroplated shovel, Beermann and Mayor Neil Colerick turned the first earth.
50 Years Ago
March 2, 1976
The Nebraska State Patrol has returned to normal patrol in the Alliance area after finding no leads or new evidence in its search for the man who reportedly shot at Trooper Sam Frandsen on Highway 2 six miles east of Alliance Sunday night.
45 Years Ago
March 4, 1981
Central School will undergo $2,600 worth of rewiring over spring break. Business Manager Box Duryea gave the school board members a letter from an electrician stating that Central School is in need of rewiring. “All we have there is a fire waiting to happen,” Duryea said.
40 Years Ago
March 6, 1986
The City of Alliance in its attempt to reduce its expenses is trying something innovative which really hasn’t been tested in Nebraska. The innovative idea behind the hopefully money-saving measure is to contract out maintenance of several parks and ballfields.
35 Years Ago
March 7, 1991
Alliance City Schools’ Tutor-A-Student and CADET Teacher Programs will share a national spotlight at the 51st Annual Convention of the National School Boards Association in San Francisco, April 13-16.
30 Years Ago
March 7, 1996
Shae Brost, daughter of Casey and Jerrie Brost of Hemingford, is preparing to compete at the National Teenage Women American Drug Free Powerlifting Association competition in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., April 19-21. She is a sophomore at Hemingford High School and has been weight training for two years.
25 Years Ago
March 7, 2001
To help restock the shelves of the county’s Food Pantry at the Northwest Community Action Center, 401 Laramie Ave., Alliance Pizza Hut is sponsoring a fundraiser. A donation of one canned food item will receive $2 off a medium or large pizza; and a donation of two canned food items will receive $4 off any large pizza.
20 Years Ago
March 8, 2006
At the Rotary Club meeting on Monday, guest speaker Brian Lafler, Alliance postmaster, gave a presentation about identity theft. Identity theft, he said, is America’s fastest growing crime. In the past year, he said, there have been nearly millions of victims of identity theft in the country, which has cost more than $5 billion.
15 Years Ago
March 7, 2011
Smaller airports, just like the on here in Alliance, could soon be facing crisis. On Thursday, Feb 17, Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma offered an amendment to the currently debated FAA bill, which would eliminate EAS service for airports that would average fewer than 10 passengers a day. This would impact a total of 40 airports, including McCook, Alliance, and Chadron.
10 Years Ago
March 10, 2016
This past November Alliance Middle School science teacher Roger Shellabarger hosted a science fair with his seventh and eight grade classes. The winners were chosen and from those winners five were selected to compete in the Nebraska Junior Academy of Sciences Regional Science Fair.
5 Years Ago
March 10, 2021
Another leg of the Heartland Expressway is set to be transformed into a four lane divided highway beginning at the L62-A junction and terminating at the existing divided highway south of Alliance. According to the Nebraska Department of Transportation, work is expected to begin on March 15, weather permitting.
*Compiled from The Alliance Times-Herald Archives by Christine Melcher