130 Years Ago
Feb. 17, 1893
James Helms has disposed of his interest in the City bakery and fixtures to Thomas Wallace, who is now conducting the business. Mr. Helms contemplates going to Oklahoma.
125 Years Ago
Feb. 18, 1898
A party of twenty invited guests met at the home of Mr. and Mrs. C. E. Flower, seven miles north of Alliance, for the purpose of celebrating St. Valentine’s day. The occasion was voted a most pleasant success.
120 Years Ago
Feb. 17, 1903
Mr. and Mrs. H. J. Steen entertained six couples at dinner last Friday night in honor of Dr. Gardner prior to his departure to Wymore. Those invited were Misses Mary, Mid and Alicia Regan, Miss Clare Phelan and Miss Bernice Kridelbaugh. The gentlemen: Dr. Gardner, Geo. J. Burke, A. B. Tolliff, Ed. Marks and Dr. Knight.
115 Years Ago
Feb. 14, 1908
Three young gentlemen have been chosen to represent the Alliance high school for the debating club: Louis Allen, Lee Basye and Vincent Taylor. The state contest will be held in Lincoln in May.
110 Years Ago
Feb. 14, 1913
The fire department was called to the residence of Wm. Eubanks on Laramie between Ninth and Tenth, where the coal shed was burning fiercely, fanned by a brisk wind. The shed was set afire by boys on their way to school.
105 Years Ago
Feb. 15, 1918
County Attorney Basye filed two counts against Dave Jenkins, the Bingham man arrested for bringing whiskey into the state, and he was fined the maximum of $100 and the costs on each count. Jenkins plead guilty to having liquor in his possession and to the charge of bringing it into the state. He paid $207 for his little experience and he lost the trunk full of booze, as well.
100 Years Ago
Feb. 16, 1923
The small home of William Shepherd, located on the Norton place about a mile south of Alliance, was completely destroyed by fire this morning. The parents are afflicted with rheumatism and the city charity board has been helping them as they did last winter. The only income they have is what their two small boys can make selling papers on the streets of Alliance.
95 Years Ago
Feb. 14, 1928
The new Fashion Shop, A. G. Isaacson’s new ready-to-wear store, will open in the new location on Box Butte avenue within the next two weeks. Carpenters, painters and decorators have been busy for the past two weeks getting the fixtures installed and the new spring stock is arriving daily. An ivory, blue and gold color plan has been used on the interior and it will be a very attractive store when completed.
90 Years Ago
Feb. 14, 1933
A few more days’ work will see completion of repair and reconstruction of the first story of the Ellis building, which was seriously damaged more than a month ago by fire.
85 Years Ago
Feb. 15, 1938
The body of an unidentified man was found this morning about three miles east and three-fourths of a mile south of Alliance, just off of highway No. 2. The man, believed to be about 35 years of age, was found in a prone position with no wounds noticeable. The body was removed to the Landa funeral home, where attempts will be made to learn the identity and cause of death.
80 Years Ago
Feb. 16, 1943
Donna Lee and Edith Krause had quite an experience when they saw a glider tow rope fall from a plane while passing over their farm. The rope landed about a mile from their home but they went over and got it and lugged it back to the house. When it is known that the rope is about one inch in diameter and 368 feet long some idea of the weight the girls had to contend with can be appreciated. Mrs. Mary Krause, mother of the two girls, brought it to Alliance from her farm about 12 miles east and left it at the Times-Herald office. Officers at the Army Air Base were notified and were very much pleased to recover it, as such a rope represents quite an investment for Uncle Sam.
75 Years Ago
Feb. 13, 1948
According to an announcement made by the Civil Aeronautics Administration in Washington, Nebraska should have 120 new airports built and improvements made on 46 of the present 106 during the next three years. No change was proposed for the Alliance army air base port, which a listing shows has runways of 7, – 500 to 8,500 feet, the longest in the state.
70 Years Ago
Feb. 14, 1953
County Sheriff Fred Shelmadine and City Police Chief Doug Thomas will bring two youths, Bill Frasier, 20 and Raymond Ricketts, 21, both of Scottsbluff, here on charges of “taking an automobile for wrongful use.” On February 2, Robert Engelhaupt reported his automobile missing from his home at 1119 Platte Avenue. The car was found with the Nebraska license plates replaced with South Dakota tags.
65 Years Ago
Feb. 15, 1958
Two Alliance men, C. J. Schafer and Byron J. Appleby, received noteworthy state honors. Schafer owns the Schafer Auto Supply. Schafer was cited by the Nebraska Legion as the “outstanding employer of handicapped persons in Nebraska during 1957.” Schafer has been in the auto supply business here since 1917 when he joined his brother Charles, who had started the firm in 1914. Appleby was cited in Lincoln with a merit award for air rescue heroism, given by the State Aeronautics Department. Appleby organized an air search July 21 which discovered the wrecked airplane south of Bingham. The rescuers brought the lone survivor Judy Diehl, back to Alliance for hospital care.
60 Years Ago
Feb. 15, 1963
Three youths pleaded guilty at arraignment in Justice Court here this morning to breaking and entering Jim’s Recreation at Hemingford earlier today. All three cases were bound over to District Court by Justice Neil Johnstone and bounds for each set at $1,000. The trio pleading guilty and being held in the County Jail at noon today in default of bail included Leon Best, 23; Jerry Woods, 20; and Kenneth Taylor, 19.
55 Years Ago
Feb. 15, 1968
Miss Grace Chisholm is the new area home agent in Box Butte. Miss Chisholm started her duties today. She is a graduate of Loretto Heights College in Denver, Colo., with a bachelor of arts degree in general home economics.
50 Years Ago
Feb. 15, 1973
The Alliance Development Corporation re-elected Roberts W. Laing president and all other officers were also re-elected at a meeting of the directors of the corporation following the annual stockholders session. Laing former city manager has been president of the development corporation for the past two years.
45 Years Ago
Feb. 15, 1978
Three Alliance students win University of Nebraska-Lincoln scholarships. Two Alliance High seniors are among 104 Nebraska high school students, who scored highest on recent American College Testing tests, and have been offered 4-year Regents’ Scholarships to attend the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. They are Sally A. Flint, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Flint, and Warren A. Crawford, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ray Crawford. In addition 191 students have been offered one-year Regents’ Scholarships to attend the University. One is from St. Agnes Academy and is Elise Kosmicki, daughter of Postmaster and Mrs. Paul Kosmicki.
40 Years Ago
Feb. 15, 1983
Four members of boards of education in rural districts in Box Butte County were given awards for their years of service at the annual banquet put on by the Box Butte County Rural Teachers’ Association at District 39 school in Berea. The board members who received pins for their work are: Rudy Jezek, Hemingford, on District 100 board for 20 years; Virginia Campbell, Hemingford, on District 100 board for 23 years; Ray Crawford, Alliance, on District 22 board for 18 years; and Ma Nagaki, Alliance, on District 1 board for 17 years.
35 Years Ago
Feb. 15, 1988
Alliance annual YMCA Auction, formerly the Alliance Area Recreation Center, is history for 1988. According to Susi Wilkinson, auction organizer, $22,000 was raised. There were 125 volunteers on hand to run camera, phones, boards, and donations. Duane Worley, Kevin Horn, Rich Epp, Mike Glessinger, Pete Hunsinger, were masters of ceremonies. Lou Franchetti was the spot-lighter on the quickie board.
30 Years Ago
Feb. 15, 1993
Sen. Bob Wickersham was in the district over the weekend. He conducted meetings in northern and central Nebraska Panhandle towns. He visits with Alliance residents Saturday in the Daylight Donut shop.
25 Years Ago
Feb. 16, 1998
Construction of Alliance’s new library/attendance center, that began last April with site excavation, will advance to the later stages of construction this month as the building is enclosed and most of the workers move inside. R.L. Fauss Builders Inc. of Fremont, working with local and regional subcontractors is building the library.
20 Years Ago
Feb. 15, 2003
This isn’t the Brady Bunch. It is the Grant Bunch. Suzanne Zaro and Todd Grant chose yesterday, St. Valentine’s Day, to gather with family and friends at the Box Butte County Courthouse to exchange wedding vows. Bride, Suzanne and children, Bethany, Regina, Chelsea, Max, Kevin, Scott, and Brian; along with groom Todd and son Eric, stood before Clerk Magistrate of the Box Butte County Court Linda Roberts who joined the two families into one. Todd’s older son, Tyler is currently serving in the U. S. Air Force in California and was unable to attend the ceremony.
15 Years Ago
Feb. 15, 2008
Box Butte County Election Official Cheryl McDuffle said this morning that all incumbents have filed for election prior to the dead line of 5 p. m. today. In addition to the incumbents, Gary Goodell filed for city council yesterday. Goodelll served on the council from 2002-06 and as vice mayor for two of those years.
10 Years Ago
Feb. 15, 2013
Alliance Public Schools’ preschool, Kiddie Kampus, had their first annual Sweetheart Dance at Grandview Elementary. Students brought their moms, dads, grandparents and even some older siblings as their dates.
5 Years Ago
Feb. 14, 2018
At the United Methodist Church, the Alliance Girl Scouts of the Girl Scouts Spirit of Nebraska hosted their Sixth Annual Cupcake Wars, emceed by Program Specialist Krista Blumanthal.