130 Years Ago
December 13, 1895
Superintendent W. R. Siders will soon be the posessor of one of the best typewriting machines made – the No. 2 Smith Premier – which was ordered from an agent one day this week.
125 Years Ago
December 14, 1900
Alliance people are alarmed as the result of the appearance here of an ailment designated “small pox,” “chicken pox,” etc. Just what it is is a poser – the doctors fail to agree, and the balance of us mortals are not supposed to know much about it. Most of the M. Ds. Think it is a mild form of small pox, but agree that some important small pox symptoms are absent.
120 Years Ago
December 15, 1905
The Times’ showing, from an official source, last issue of the large sum to be set aside for Burlington improvements here, created much public interest, coming as the first announcement thereof. There are some who pretend to believe that $75,000 is not to be so expended here – nor any proportion of such sum.
115 Years Ago
December 13, 1910
The Phelan opera house was well filled last evening to see moving pictures of the Jeffers-Johnson fight at Reno, Nev., July 4, last. There were many ladies in the crowd and the pictures and explanation certainly gave a very lucid idea of the stirring events in and about Reno at the time.
110 Years Ago
December 14, 1915
Money that came from some mysterious source for the payments of the costs against Ray Nelson was attached by local business men last Friday and Nelson will have to remain in jail until more money can be secured. Nelson has owed local merchants for several months and they were merely trying to get what belonged to them, but instead the payment was refused.
105 Years Ago
December 14, 1920
Fred Melick, plaintiff in a case against the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy railroad for the alleged conversion of two carloads of potatoes which it was charged had been disposed of unlawfully by the railroad at Kansas City in July, 1919, lost the case in district court today, when Judge Westover took the matter out of the hands of the jury and gave an instructed verdict in favor of the defendant.
100 Years Ago
December 18, 1925
Fried rabbit, stewed rabbit, roast rabbit, baked rabbit, in fact every kind of a rabbit dish is to be the realization of hundreds of Alliance families on Christmas, for there will be a free distribution of sure-enough rabbits to all those who wish one or more for their Christmas feast this year.
95 Years Ago
December 16, 1930
Joe T, 20, was sentenced to a year at hard labor in the state reformatory for men at Lincoln when he pleaded guilty in district court here Saturday to a charge of forging checks. Melvin B, 19, who admitted that he was an accomplice of Joe, was paroled to his brother for three years.
90 Years Ago
December 13, 1935
Some one who pried a staple off a door of a chicken coop at the produce company at 304 Laramie managed by Harvey Whaley made off Tuesday night with 39 pounds of live chickens. The building housing the chickens was on the alley at the rear of the produce firm. Its front door was entered. A padlock on the staple did not need to be unlocked after the pry bar was used.
85 Years Ago
December 13, 1940
A “block by block” plan for cleaning up radio interference was proposed this week. City officials suggested that the residents of a block talk over the interference problem with each other and then call in Adrian Clark, radio expert hired by the city to trace down sources of interference. In this way the problem can be solved and more easily than by a hit and miss method.
80 Years Ago
December 14, 1945
Paul Harris of Alliance was installed as lieutenant governor of the Sixth Division Rocky Mountain District of Kiwanis Clubs at the Kiwanis Rocky Mountain District School of Edun held in Denver Sunday and Monday.
75 Years Ago
December 15, 1950
The average household dog, says a research item, responds to about 60 words. One Payment reader wishes his dog would respond to just two words: “Come here.”
70 Years Ago
December 15, 1955
Many Box Butte County school students may be drinking polluted water. County Superintendent Hanson N. Murray reported today. He said 15.4 percent of water wells on school grounds tested this year have contained bacteria from human wastes.
65 Years Ago
December 15, 1960
All traffic on the Burlington Railroad east of Alliance was halted from 3 p.m. Wednesday until 11 a.m. today by the derailment of 14 freight cars near Hazard. There were no injuries but Train 43, bringing westbound mail, was not scheduled into Alliance until 3:30 this afternoon.
60 Years Ago
December 16, 1965
Jurymen now serving on the Box Butte County District Court panel had good news today when they picked up their checks at the Court Clerk’s office – a raise in pay. As a result of LB 427, which became effective November 18, jury pay in district courts went up to $10 a day. Formerly it was six dollars.
55 Years Ago
December 15, 1970
Several coins said to belong to the Russell Miller coin collection have been brought back to Box Butte County. The coins were brought back by Sheriff Freddie Marsh who recently went to Winona, Minn,. To interview a man suspected of breaking and entering the Miller farm home near Hemingford Dec. 1.
50 Years Ago
December 12, 1975
In case seasonal shoppers haven’t already noticed the change in downtown Alliance Friday, the luxury of free parking during Christmas shopping days ended with the removal of the plastic bags covering parking meters on Box Butte Avenue.
45 Years Ago
December 17, 1980
The Alliance Boys Club has a goal to raise $8,000 to remodel and improve the city-owned building at 8th and Yellowstone which it now leases. Plans are to install a kitchen and other needed facilities in order to meet standards to qualify for a USDA daycare license and grant – to serve meals to needy boys, and later to girls.
40 Years Ago
December 14, 1985
Hattie Jordan, who will be 94 years old on Sunday, sewed clothes for 18 dollies in the Salvation Army Dress-A-Doll program. But 18 dolls doesn’t mean 18 dresses. Mrs. Jordan said she made a wardrobe for each doll – two dresses, two panties and one flannel night gown.
35 Years Ago
December 12, 1990
State Historians Survey Alliance WWII Airfield: It’s been a long time since this much interest was paid to the former Alliance Army Air Base. Two members of the Nebraska State Historical Society are trying to record the history of the Alliance base and the 19 other World War II vintage military installations in the state.
30 Years Ago
December 13, 1995
Alliance farmer Richard Laursen raises pigs, pot belly pigs to be exact, on his farm located north of town. His farm sometimes doubles as a petting zoo. He started raising pot belly pigs about four years ago. “I have many animals,” he said. “And I thought pot belly pigs would be something different for people to look at when they stop.”
25 Years Ago
December 14, 2000
An impromptu survey of holiday shoppers in downtown Alliance revealed that people shop Alliance because: a. they live here, b. they or their spouse work in Alliance, or c. they just find it convenient. Some shoppers mentioned that they like the atmosphere of shopping in a smaller town versus going to a large crowded mall in a city or larger town with more traffic and even higher prices.
20 Years Ago
December 13, 2005
Fifty years ago this past summer, Harold Steggs began his real estate business in Alliance. Harold Steggs Real Estate, which he and son Larry continue to operate on Flack Avenue, is just a few blocks north of the original building at Flack and Fourth.
15 Years Ago
December 15, 2010
In January 2010, the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office established the Rural Cybercrime Unity. The Unit, consisting of one assistant attorney general and two investigators, is specifically tasked to investigate and prosecute the possession and distribution of child pornography over the Internet and online sexual enticement of children.
10 Years Ago
December 19, 2015
Visitors From Chile Gain Insight At Greenhouse In The Snow: Russ Finch’s Greenhouse in the Snow has lived up to its name this week as late autumn has proven snowy and cold. Finch has been selling greenhouses the past several years consisting of the plans and major structural components.
5 Years Ago
December 16, 2020
Police Chief E. John Kiss has retired from the City of Alliance after 31 years of dedication to the community. John, originally a native of Miami, Florida, and a graduate of Killian Senior High, joined the United States Air Force after graduation in 1972.
*Compiled from The Alliance Times-Herald Archives by Christine Melcher