130 Years Ago
June 5, 1896
It is with regret that we chronicle the misfortune which befell H. P. Larson, of the vicinity of Reno, last Saturday. While walking from his stable to the house the stable was struck by lightening, and the shock was so severe that he was felled to the ground.
125 Years Ago
June 7, 1901
The carelessness of an employee in allowing the large driving belt at the electric light plant to become wet Monday caused the belt to come unglued and Alliance was in darkness Monday night and early Tuesday evening.
120 Years Ago
June 8, 1906
Alliance is in gala attire and just now the Mecca for Stockmen and stock interests. This important factor in the nation’s progress and prosperity, and the people engaged therein, are receiving the attention at Alliance to which entitled. The South Omaha delegation and their ladies are here in two Pullman cars, and contributing in no small degree to the success.
115 Years Ago
June 9, 1911
The Phelan opera house management has secured for June 22, that famous comedy drama “The Mummy and the Hummingbird,” with the famous actor Paul Gilmore as leading character. Playgoers are well aware that this is one of the greatest plays now being presented to the American public.
110 Years Ago
June 9, 1916
J. O. Shigley, an Ashby rancher, came down to see the carnival and instead he fell in with a pair of gamblers who succeeded in fleecing him out of $20 in a poker game staged in a box car in the railroad yards. Marshall Wheeler heard of the game and inside of an hour he had the two gamblers locked up in the city jail.
105 Years Ago
June 10, 1921
Following recent articles appearing exclusively in The Times regarding the proposed irrigation scheme for Box Butte county, this newspaper, through persistent inquiry, has discovered that a big irrigation project, such as was mentioned in the articles, is now under headway, with probabilities of becoming an accomplished fact in due time.
100 Years Ago
June 11, 1926
There is an automobile for every six people in the United States, about half as many as there ought to be. Before long, in hundreds of thousands of families, there will be a separate car for each person past 16 years of age. Each bird needs its own wings.
95 Years Ago
June 12, 1931
Alliance has been offered a chance to buy electricity from a hydro-electric plant that is being constructed four miles northwest of Bayard on the nine-mile irrigation ditch. The offer was made to the city council at their regular meeting last night when W. F. Austin of Bayard appeared before the city officials and announced his plan.
90 Years Ago
June 5, 1936
Those 15-minute parking spaces in the business district are just “request” regulations and are not backed by any ordinance, the police admit. No ordinance was passed establishing them and the officers can’t enforce the regulation.
85 Years Ago
June 6, 1941
Officers are continuing their investigation of the breaking and entering of the A. H. Jones garage during Sunday night and the stealing of a 1938 Ford V-8 car. The car was recovered Monday morning; it had been tipped over and badly damaged.
80 Years Ago
June 4, 1946
The final sale of scarce machinery and other goods at the Alliance Air base last week resulted in a total of $12,129.18 in bids accepted and approved. This is the last sale of such material before the U. S. Army Engineers take the base over from the army air forces next Saturday night, June 8.
75 Years Ago
June 9, 1951
A feminine voice called the police station the other a.m. and asked the officer who answered the phone if that was the day for drivers’ license examinations. Assured that it was, the woman asked: “Who gives the examinations, the tall good looking patrolman?” Doesn’t she know that the minimum height requirement for the patrol is 5 feet 10 inches? Being handsome doesn’t enter into it. Short fellers, someone complained, never have any fun.
70 Years Ago
June 7, 1956
St. Agnes Academy already has corrected a deficiency noted by the Accreditation Committee of the State Board of Education, Mother Virginia, superintendent, said today. A story from Lincoln Wednesday included St. Agnes among 98 public and nonpublic schools in Nebraska that were placed “on advisement” by the state Board of Education.
65 Years Ago
June 10, 1961
The Civil Aeronautics Board has recently come out with a ruling prohibiting airlines from releasing passenger boardings for publication which further complicates the situations of Alliance and other cities on its Use-It-Or-Lose-It policy.
60 Years Ago
June 11, 1966
Work has started here on the construction of a warehouse addition to the Pepsi-Cola bottling Co. building at 110 Cheyenne Avenue. A spokesman for the company Friday said that an entire new front to the present building is also part of the project.
55 Years Ago
June 10, 1971
What’s it like to be the World’s tallest man? Shoppers have an opportunity to learn straight from the Giant’s mouth when Henry Hite, 8’2” tall, visits the Alliance Jack and Jill store, Saturday from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Billed as the Wilson Giant, Hite will give away pictures and autographs when he appears.
50 Years Ago
June 10, 1976
The possible necessity of building a school south of Electric Hose and Rubber Co. became evident Wednesday evening as the Alliance Planning Commission viewed a proposed plat for the “Homestead Addition” submitted by David Rice.
45 Years Ago
June 4, 1981
An Alliance High School graduate of 1965 is moving his family to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for two to three years where he is employed on a construction project. He is Don Mittlestadt, son of Mrs. Cleo Mittlestadt. He will leave June 10 to begin his duties as deputy site manager for the construction of a large bank building.
40 Years Ago
June 6, 1986
Box Butte County had a visitor from the skies recently when a somewhat large balloon became lodged in a line of trees southeast of Alliance. After a little bit of time and some patience on the part of a couple area residents, it was discovered that the balloon had been launched by the Oceanic and Atmospheric Association. A reward is offered for the return of the equipment that was with it.
35 Years Ago
June 7, 1991
The number and cost of employee injury claims were contributing factors to the extent of recent furloughs at Burlington Northern Railroad’s locomotive and car maintenance facilities in Alliance. Current claim costs for the Alliance Diesel and Car Shops stand at $9.5 million and $1.6 million, respectively. The costs represent claims filed by employees.
30 Years Ago
June 6, 1996
Many Alliance residents headed for basements or other shelters Wednesday night as severe thunderstorm warnings turned into tornado warnings. Nobody had reported damage to Box Butte County Sheriff Dick Bauer this morning. He had heard there were two tornadoes in the area, but none was confirmed.
25 Years Ago
June 8, 2001
Western Engineering Company of Harlan, Iowa, has been unanimously awarded the $3,832,630.43 contract for the construction of the 10th Street Viaduct. The award was made during last night’s Alliance City Council meeting. Preliminary construction will begin about July 9, with entrances to property on the west side of the railroad tracks and KCOW changed to accommodate the construction.
20 Years Ago
June 7, 2006
The Alliance Police Department is currently investigating two arson attempts that occurred last week at the Alliance K-mart store. The first incident, Lieutenant Ken hart said, took place on Monday, May 29 at 5:45 p.m. The second, he said, took place on Tuesday, May 30 at 6:06 p.m. Both incidents, Hart said, resulted in small amounts of damage.
15 Years Ago
June 7, 2011
Monday night, the Alliance Public Schools Board of Education accepted a $2,500 donation from the Alliance Jaycees, for the College Access program. Superintendent Dan Hoesing explained the program helps provide college visits for first-generation and low-income students.
10 Years Ago
June 8, 2016
Aaron Hamburger rummages through an eclectic pile of parts and tools in his garage, looking for a part. He jokes that the disarray is a sign of genius. Hamburger moves an empty wine bottle out of the way, saying, “Everyone thinks I’m an alcoholic with all these bottles lying around.” But Hamburger has plans for that bottle. Using a diamond cutter, he will eventually fashion a guitar slide out of the bottleneck.
5 Years Ago
June 9, 2021
The 385 Cruisers came together for the 20th annual Thunder on the Prairie. Cars from several states were present as well as those from the Panhandle. Central Park was filled with beautiful cars, trucks, and vans. According to one of the event organizers, Mike McGinnis, there were approximately 150 entries.
*Compiled from The Alliance Times-Herald Archives by Christine Melcher