130 Years Ago
April 20, 1894
Two of the railroad boys who hired a livery rig to go to the dance north of town last Saturday night, allowed the team to run away, throwing themselves and the ladies out of the carriage and damaging the vehicle, which belonged to Mike Elmore, to the extent of about $30.
125 Years Ago
April 21, 1899
April 19th board met as per adjournment, present James Hollinrake and James Barry. Lincoln Land Co., by their agent, I. E. Tash, appeared and accepted propositions made by the board April 12th for the removal of the former court house from Hemingford to Alliance, and its repair, also for purchase by county of a site. Whereupon board made contract with Lincoln Land Co. containing agreements given in above-mentioned proposition, Lincoln Land Co. agreeing to move said building and have it ready for occupancy by July 15th, 1899, or to pay the county their expense of rent beyond that date.
120 Years Ago
April 15, 1904
Prairie fires have been burning on two sides of Alliance during the last twenty-four hours, but seem to be out this morning. One of these is said to have started near Hemingford and passed eastward north of Alliance, burning a lot of range, but no other damage so far as we have heard, and was put out early this morning near Reno. The other one was southwest of Alliance, and started from an unknown cause on the Lester place. Much summer range was destroyed on the Hampton and Bellwood ranches, but no other damage resulted.
115 Years Ago
April 16, 1909
The foundation of the Times’ new building has been finished from cement by John Pederson, and Sang C. Reck, the contractor, will commence brick-laying next Monday, the weather permitting.
110 Years Ago
April 17, 1914
Wednesday was the last day for the filing of contracts by teachers who have been elected to teach in the Alliance schools next year. The following day, Supt. Pate announced the following teachers had signified their intentions of not returning: Miss Mary Keech, high school; Miss Miriam Seawell, music; Miss Mame White, eighth grade; Miss Mary Kelly, sixth; Miss Gertrude Davis, fourth and fifth; Miss Lena Jackson, first.
105 Years Ago
April 18, 1919
Not a tear, not a quiver of the voice, was evident when the parents of Walter Reisenwever, self-confessed murderer of Charles Johnson, arrived from Sheridan Wednesday noon to see their son who is confined in the county jail awaiting trial.
100 Years Ago
April 18, 1924
O’Bannon and Neuswanger secured an instructed verdict in a suit for $1,287 with interest against the Burlington Railroad company in district court Thursday morning. The claim was based on a shipment of potatoes from Alliance to Kansas City on shipper’s protective service, which was damaged by freezing.
95 Years Ago
April 16, 1929
The Vitaphone equipment has arrived at the Imperial and engineers are now at work making the sound installation. The May program of pictures has been made for all talking subjects and after the Vitaphone opening, no silent subjects will be run at the Imperial. All silent pictures will be shown at the Rialto.
90 Years Ago
April 17, 1934
James Shannon, 14, son of Mrs. Dolly Shannon McMann and a tenth grade student in the Alliance high school, lost his life Saturday and two other youngsters narrowly escaped death when a play tunnel they had dug in the side of a bank on a sandy hill caved in upon them. The fatality occurred on the Lyle Morse place, about seven miles west of Lettan, occupied now by Mr. and Mrs. Alfred McCann, who were in Scottsbluff at the time of the accident.
85 Years Ago
April 11, 1939
Western Nebraska high school musicians—more than 2,000 of them—will swarm into Alliance Friday and Saturday to compete in the annual district contest. Thirty-five schools will be represented in the contest, which will be climaxed Saturday afternoon with a massed band contest at the high school athletic field.
80 Years Ago
April 18, 1944
Alliance boys and girls have shown much interest in the Victory Garden contest and it is expected that this week will produce a heavy registration. Warren Maxwell’s scout troop, numbering 42 boys, have asked for the forms to be filled out to complete registrations and other groups will get theirs promptly.
75 Years Ago
April 15, 1949
A large remodeling project is planned in the American Legion Home this year, Post Commander Harold Wingstad announced this morning. Several changes need to be made in the former USO building to make it more suitable for the Legion’s use, Wingstad said. The plans are now in their early stages.
70 Years Ago
April 17, 1954
Over 400 persons attended the Good Friday Union Service held at the Methodist Church, and $84 was collected, which will be used by the Alliance Ministerial Association for local religious projects.
65 Years Ago
April 17, 1959
Alliance’s first Civil Defense test to check out communications facilities came off on schedule this morning and Police Chief Doug Thomas was pleased with the results. “Most of our people checked in by 9:34,” Thomas said, “and we got official notification on the Police and Sheriff Radio network across the state at 9:35.” The whistle signifying the start of the alert here was blown at 9:30 a.m.
60 Years Ago
April 17, 1964
New ordinances adopted at the Alliance City Council’s Thursday evening meeting would (1) set a liquor-by-the-drink vote May 12, (2) change certain traffic rules and (3) clear the way for the possible building of a new National Guard Armory here this year. The Council also established a site for the building of a Knight Museum at Ninth and Yellowstone this year.
55 Years Ago
April 17, 1969
Five new police revolvers were received here this week, according to a report from Police Chief Verlin Hutton today, which were ordered from a Texas supplier five months ago. The delay in arrival of the guns was caused by a first shipment being stolen from the mail, and the second shipment being missent to the wrong Alliance. The Texas company collected insurance on the stolen guns, according to information received here.
50 Years Ago
April 17, 1974
About 400 people were served at the dinner ahead of the annual meeting of the Panhandle Rural Electric Membership Association here Tuesday evening, including 192 voting members. Business conducted included the approval of reports, and the re-election of two directors, Victor Merrihew of Ashby and Max Rothwell of Tryon. It was reported that there will be no rate raise for PREMA customers in 1974, but because power costs are going up in 1974 a rate increase can be expected in 1975.
45 Years Ago
April 18, 1979
A report from Supt. Martin Petersen on a possible reduction of programs in the Alliance City Schools, and the resignation of Middle School Principal Larry Grosshans were highlights of a meeting of the Board of Education Tuesday evening. In his letter of resignation Grosshans expressed difficulty in making the decision to leave Alliance after 15 years here as a teacher and principal. The Grosshans family will move to Hickman, 15 miles south of Lincoln, and he will be the assistant superintendent and middle school principal of the Norris Public Schools, a Class B size consolidated school located about four miles south of Hickman.
40 Years Ago
April 17, 1984
Although the terms developmental kindergarten and transitional first grade may not be familiar to most people, school administrators say the two classes, to be added next fall, are actually a natural outgrowth of current instruction. During its April 3 meeting, the Alliance Board of Education approved hiring two additional teachers for the classes which will be geared to children needing extra time and help with skills development.
35 Years Ago
April 17, 1989
Alliance Postmaster Harry Schaffert says the Alliance Post Office has been busy over the weekend handling 1988 tax returns. Schaffert says he expects the last minute rush to continue until the tax deadline at midnight tonight.
30 Years Ago
April 18, 1994
When it comes to Keeping America Beautiful, there is no generation gap. That’s the idea behind Clean Community’s program “Bridging the Gap.” This year the Alliance Clean Community System and The Alliance High School FFA chapter will be bridging the gap between youth and senior or physically compromised citizens on Earth Day, April 22.
25 Years Ago
April 17, 1999
Two Alliance High School runners will be taking their long distance efforts to the extreme this summer as they trek to Australia and compete in the international Down Under Games. Cross country state champion Jack Girard and Bulldog teammate Ben Essay will join a delegation of ten Nebraska distance runners on July 3 as they take a 13 day journey to compete in four (three in Australia and one in Hawaii) 3.1 mile cross country events.
20 Years Ago
April 17, 2004
A community meeting about the risk factors that Alliance teens are exposed to will be at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 20, at the Library/Learning Center’s conference room. Boysen of the Box Butte County Family Focus Coalition said that, “Research shows that the most effective way to address problems associated with high-risk behaviors is to involve community leaders, residents, teenagers and their families in coordinated efforts to change behaviors.”
15 Years Ago
April 17, 2009
Kenneth D. “Dobby” Lee, 87, passed away Wednesday April 15, 2009 at the V.A. Medical Center at Hot Springs, S.D., following an extended battle with cancer. In his later years his passion and focus of his efforts became Dobby’s Frontier Town, which is a 19 building village located on the northeast edge of Alliance.
10 Years Ago
April 18, 2014
Earlier this year, Alliance High School Principal Dr. Patrick Jones bid farewell to the district, leaving a vacancy for the remainder of the current year and those upcoming. Though currently filled by Interim Principal Dr. Vickie Grant, the position could become a regular job for one of three candidates.
5 Years Ago
April 17, 2019
Nine tanks containing a total of 210,000 gallons of the liquid fertilizer ammonium polyphosphate and 40,000 gallons of water, failed in Hemingford last Wednesday, causing a spill that led to a quick response from businesses, first responders and the community as a whole to clean up the leak.
*Compiled from The Alliance Times-Herald Archives by staff.