130 Years Ago
August 14, 1896
Dr. E. C. Koons, the new dentist, has opened dental parlors upstairs in the northeast rooms of the Norton block, and has all the latest appliances for filling and extracting teeth without pain. The doctor has had a practice of over fifteen years, and has a college and university education.
125 Years Ago
August 16, 1901
By order of the city council, a water gauge has been placed in the south basement window under Beck’s store, so that the public can at all times consult the registration and learn the exact number of feet of water in the stand-pipe.
120 Years Ago
August 17, 1906
The office of the Dierks Lumber Company has been repapered, repainted and remodeled and manager Waters now has a fine suite of offices, and everything convenient and up-to-date for the handling of the office work.
115 Years Ago
August 18, 1911
Bert Plummer, who was well known in this city a year or so ago, being one of Alliance’s classiest ball players, arrived here a day or so ago and is renewing old acquaintances.
110 Years Ago
August 18, 1916
Confessions of a chain of robberies that would do credit to “Dick Turpin” were made by Orville Lewis and Willie Dunbar, two young lads who are out on parole from the state reformatory where they were sent on charges of a similar nature.
105 Years Ago
August 16, 1921
From every angle the present week is an important one to Alliance in securing a connection on the south with the Lincoln highway. Two important meetings will be held, one at Chadron Wednesday noon and another at Bridgeport Friday afternoon. The latter meeting is by far the most important of the two since the Bridgeport meeting may solve the difficulty of getting a highway with the state aid across Morrill county and until this is accomplished road building for tourist traffic will be at a standstill.
100 Years Ago
August 17, 1926
As the result of the continued efforts of several interested citizens and city authorities Alliance has been made a corn and wheat region station by the headquarters at Omaha of the weather bureau of the U.S. department of agriculture. This means that whenever a rain is received at Alliance the amount of moisture will be telegraphed to the bureau and it will be immediately released to the metropolitan newspapers of the state.
95 Years Ago
August 18, 1931
How would you like to be guzzling a bottle of golden, sparkling, foamy home-brew beer and then learn that a quantity of strychnine had been added to it? That might have happened at the William Meinke farm west of Hemingford, for Meinke admitted to county authorities that he put a quantity of strychnine in four bottles of home brew which were among over a hundred bottles seized in a raid.
90 Years Ago
August 14, 1936
Hundreds of apparently bewildered ducks whirled in circles above Alliance from late Wednesday evening until they regained their bearings about dawn Thursday morning. Numerous persons in the residential section of the city watched the numerous flocks of birds wing back and forth in the light cast upward by the lights of the city.
85 Years Ago
August 12, 1941
A hurry-up call from Scottsbluff Sunday brought the Alliance iron lung to Victor Walker, 23, son of Mr. and Mrs. E. A. Walker of that city. He had suffered from a chronic heart ailment, developed appendicitis, and Friday was stricken with polio-myelitis.
80 Years Ago
August 16, 1946
Prairie Airlines of Alliance this week received formal approval of an interim lease on facilities at the Alliance Air Base whereby they can use No. 1 hangar there and can use the runways for landing and taking off. The lease does not permit Prairie to load or unload passengers and freight.
75 Years Ago
August 16, 1951
In a neighboring area where a bridge is being constructed, workmen have a large crane which they use in hoisting heavy girders, etc. One motorist took a look at the crane and another at the creek and commented: “My gosh, what kind of fish do they have in there.”
70 Years Ago
August 15, 1956
Kiwanis Club Tuesday night got a picture of how the Ground Observer Corps operates and what it means to the nation’s security. T. Sgt. Ernest Pratt, Ar Force coordinator of GOC activities in 11 Panhandle counties showed a movie and localized it with a report on GOC work in this area.
65 Years Ago
August 15, 1961
Sheriff Matt Berg has collected 81 percent of delinquent money due Box Butte County for the tax year of 1959, according to an official report filed Monday with County Clerk Eunice Rhein. According to the report, Berg collected 420 of the 531 distress warrants, delivered to him on October 1, 1960 by the County Treasurer. Collected in full were delinquent taxes amounting to $17,534.20.
60 Years Ago
August 18, 1966
No men are being called in September from either Box Butte or Grant County for induction into the Army, according to a report today from the Selective Service headquarters in Alliance for the two counties.
55 Years Ago
August 17, 1971
Members of the Dobson Sky Diving team will make five jumps during fair activities this week. They are scheduled to make one jump Friday, two Saturday and two on Sunday. According to Park Dobson, there will hopefully be 30-35 jumpers this year including approximately six girls. Dobson said there would be three Dobsons, and Don Briggs of Alliance and Arden Rosenberger of Hemingford jumping.
50 Years Ago
August 17, 1976
The Box Butte County Commissioners received a request Monday that the county make available for sale some county-owned property within Alliance in order to allow residents of the Hills Addition to move their homes or build new homes. Burlington Northern Railroad has told residents of the Hills Addition in south Alliance that BN intends to purchase private property in that residential area for an expansion project.
45 Years Ago
August 18, 1981
A recent quarterly inspection of the Sunset Villa public housing unit for families in Lakefield Addition shows some problems, it was reported at a meeting of the Alliance Housing Authority Monday afternoon. Window and screen damage, a poor lawn, and siding that needs replacing were mentioned. Approval was given to “violation procedures” as a policy in leasing the housing.
40 Years Ago
August 18, 1986
According to U.S. Census Bureau figures, Box Butte County’s population rew from 13,696 in 1980 to 14,400 in 1985. This is an increase of 704 residents. Nebraska’s population grew 2.3 percent from 1980 and 1985, however, nearly two out of every three counties in the state lost residents.
35 Years Ago
August 17, 1991
TCI, Cablevision of Nebraska, Inc., has begun the rebuild of the Cable TV System in Alliance. The new system will employ fiber-to-the-feeder technology. “This is the first use of fiber optics in a Cable TV application, west of Lincoln in Nebraska,” according to Dave Mapes, system manager in Alliance.
30 Years Ago
August 13, 1996
The juvenile facility to be located near Alliance is one of nine juvenile justice projects to receive part of $649,217 awarded by the Nebraska Crime Commission. The $106,593 grant will be used for remodeling a former school north of Alliance and hiring staff to open the staff secure facility.
25 Years Ago
August 16, 2001
Preparations for construction of the 10th Street overpass began Wednesday, Aug. 1. Yesterday, Aug. 15, the segment of 10th Street from Buchfinck Avenue to Buffalo Avenue was closed to traffic, and will remain closed through the completion of the project which is scheduled for the Spring 2002.
20 Years Ago
August 18, 2006
Garzas received a Conditional Use Permit for a used vehicle sales lot, with eight conditions attached; Thompsons won an extension on their Condition Use Permit for the construction of a car wash; Alliance will continue with PADD; and several other items were agreed upon at last night’s Alliance City Council meeting.
15 Years Ago
August 16, 2011
The family-favorite story of a red-headed orphan who wins over the billionaire, Oliver Warbucks, and defeats the bad guys who try to swindle Warbucks out of $50,000, will come to life at Central Park in Alliance as the Main Street Players Community Theater presents the musical “Annie” this Saturday at 6 p.m.
10 Years Ago
August 17, 2016
Hemingford (pop. 804) has earned recognition as the state’s first Leadership Certified Community in western Nebraska. Starr Lehl, Business Development consultant with the Nebraska Department of Economic Development (DED), honored village board members during a meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 16.
5 Years Ago
August 18, 2021
Officials with COVID-19 Unified Command are seeing an increase in the number of Panhandle residents who are receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, though the number of cases continues to rise. Unified Command is encouraging people to get vaccinated if they are 12 years of age and older, especially for people who are pregnant, breastfeeding or who are trying to get pregnant.
*Compiled from The Alliance Times-Herald Archives by Christine Melcher