130 Years Ago
August 21, 1896
The “fats” and the “leans” played a game of ball of four innings yesterday, and at the close the score stood 16 to 20 in favor of the “leans.” The noteworthy event of the game was a triple play by the latter team which put three men out.
125 Years Ago
August 23, 1901
James McKinney has sold his dwelling in Westlawn to Gus Holden, consideration $1,000. Mr. McKinney contemplates buying or building a more commodious residence.
120 Years Ago
August 24, 1906
J.M. Burris, of the Auburn Telephone Co., arrived in Alliance Wednesday and will spend this week with an eye to the improvement of the system. It is proposed in the near future to be able to supply all demands for telephones, and to this end new poles, another section of switchboard and the other necessaries have been ordered.
115 Years Ago
August 25, 1911
John J. Carrey, who was taken in charge by Hemingford residents last Saturday evening and later brought to this city by Sheriff Cox, being temporarily insane, is now greatly improved. He was brought here and placed in the county jail and attended by an Alliance physician. He seems to have completely recovered and will likely be turned loose within the next few days.
110 Years Ago
August 25, 1916
Four large trainloads of the Barnum & Bailey shows en-route from Denver to Sheridan where they will exhibit Saturday, were switched into the Alliance yards Friday morning. Hundreds of horses were unloaded for feed and water as well as many of the wild animals and elephants. The men were served hot coffee and the holes of doughnuts.
105 Years Ago
August 23, 1921
Charles Sisley didn’t intend to halt his car almost directly in front of the home of Chief of Police Jeffers when he was making a speedway of the streets Sunday afternoon, but it so happened that just at this point, Sixth and Sweetwater, an accident occurred that almost threw him and his car into the dooryard of the “law.”
100 Years Ago
August 24, 1926
Leo Kastner, proprietor of a grocery store on West Third street, arrested several days ago by Chief of Police Horton charged with selling groceries on Sunday in violation of a city ordinance, was given a continuance until August 30 at 10 o’clock.
95 Years Ago
August 25, 1931
Officers upon receiving a report from the state chemist at Lincoln from samples of home brew beer sent them are now convinced that William Meinke was “stringing” them when he said that he had put strychnine in some bottles of the beer. A report from the state chemist shows that there is nothing in the beer in the way of poison, but that it is quite potent, having over five and one-half percent alcoholic content.
90 Years Ago
August 21, 1936
The time has come, it appears, to do something about insuring the purity of milk offered for sale in Alliance. At the request of city authorities, two representatives of the state department of agriculture and inspection, in company with members of the city’s board of health, inspected about 15 dairies and farms which are offering milk for sale to the public.
85 Years Ago
August 19, 1941
Bob Cobb, associated with the automotive industry in Alliance for the past 20 years, will engage in business for himself starting this week and will handle Dodge cars, commercial cars and trucks. His headquarters will be at 115 East Fourth opposite The Times-Herald building and he will have his cars serviced by Golliher & Joder Service station at the corner of Fourth and Niobrara.
80 Years Ago
August 23, 1946
The National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis is sending to Alliance a skilled physio-therapist for treatment of polio cases here, together with a nurse who has special training in such cases. Meanwhile one more case of polio has been received at the hospital. No new cases have been reported in Alliance for nearly two weeks and it is felt that the peak of the incidence of the disease has been passed.
75 Years Ago
August 22, 1951
The Times-Herald photographer who snapped pictures at the Atomic Age exhibit Tuesday night got the impression that the people were jumpier than usual when the flash bulbs went off. Every time a flashbulb went off, people, even at the far end of the auditorium, would turn quickly around as if they expected a loud atomic report from the miniature atomic pile or piece of atomic equipment.
70 Years Ago
August 22, 1956
Ozark Air Lines has proposed to the Civil Aeronautics Board that it be permitted to establish a Western terminal at Alliance for providing commuter service to many of the leading cities of Nebraska.
65 Years Ago
August 22, 1961
An announcement in Ogallala today that the Good-All Company will move its connector plant to California will have no effect on the operation of the Good-All plant in Alliance.
60 Years Ago
August 25, 1966
State Roads Department announced today it will open bids September 15 on 8.4 miles of highway construction on Nebraska No. 2 between Alliance and Hemingford. Included in the work plan are grading, culverts, sub-grade work, shoulder construction and armor coating.
55 Years Ago
August 24, 1971
A 1967 model pickup stolen in Iowa was recovered at 10 a.m. today in Hemingford. Hemingford Policeman Tom Trauernicht discovered the vehicle abandoned in Hemingford and ran a check on it through the NCIC in Washington, D.C., where it was identified as missing.
50 Years Ago
August 24, 1976
Plans have been announced for construction of a railroad car preventative maintenance plant three miles east of Alliance beginning this fall that initially will employ 40 persons and up to 150-180 in two to three years.
45 Years Ago
August 26, 1981
Damage claims from Saturday night’s hail storm continue to flow in to local insurance agents as insurance adjusters from around the nation fly to Alliance to help assess the losses. Currently, more than a thousand claims have been received by local agents, most of them for damage to homes and buildings in Alliance.
40 Years Ago
August 26, 1986
Alliance City officials are baffled over the reasons for a rash of vandalism incidents on city property and are now turning to the public for help. According to Alliance Parks and Grounds Superintendent Lyle Shaughnessy, the last several weeks have been the worst ever and the most costly to the city.
35 Years Ago
August 23, 1991
Seven Alliance Police Department officers gathered on the roof of the Law Enforcement Center Wednesday along with a couple of Nebraska State Troopers. One by one, the APD officers donned rappelling harness and stepped off the edge of the building.
30 Years Ago
August 22, 1996
Every empty space in the Carnegie Arts Center’s main gallery has been filled with art and memorabilia depicting the history of the iron horse through the years up to present day. Exhibitors from several states have contributed to make the second annual Railroad Show larger and more detailed than the first.
25 Years Ago
August 21, 2001
This fall, Northern Panhandle veterans will be able to attend a centrally-located clinic in the Slagle Building basement. Although a VA clinic has been offered through the Slagle Wellness Center every other Wednesday, Gorman emphasized the benefit of a stationery location.
20 Years Ago
August 22, 2006
The Box Butte County Commissioners signed a Carhenge draw down request yesterday during their regularly scheduled meeting. During correspondence, it was discussed that a partial payment in the amount of $27,851 would be made to R & J Industries Plus, Inc., which is constructing the Carhenge Visitor Center.
15 Years Ago
August 23, 2011
A Western Nebraska firm is getting a $10.3 million loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to expand broadband Internet service in the Panhandle. The USDA announced the loan to the Hemingford Cooperative Telephone Co. on Monday.
10 Years Ago
August 24, 2016
Drivers on the highway by Carhenge yesterday likely noticed the giant white thought bubble that said, “Truth.” Or perhaps area residents heard it was going to be out there and knew they had to go check it out for themselves. If by chance passersby missed it those who stopped described as “very unique and inspirational” among other terms.
5 Years Ago
August 25, 2021
A fire that broke out at the Alliance Landfill on Aug. 17 led to the evacuation of animals from the Alliance Animal Shelter and the closure of Kansas Street as the Alliance Volunteer Fire Department battled the blaze.
*Compiled from The Alliance Times-Herald Archives by Christine Melcher