130 Years Ago
December 22, 1893
Gloves, Mittens, Underwear. Hose, Blankets, Flannels, Cloaks have taken a tumble at Norton’s store.
125 Years Ago
December 23, 1898
Supreme Court Makes an Order that Hemingford will Hold County Seat until Such Time as the Court Renders an Opinion on the Case Pending Before Supreme Bench.
120 Years Ago
December 24, 1903
During the conversion from prairie to a busy bustling city of more than 5,000 inhabitants whose dame is known throughout the west, Alliance has had no citizen who has contributed more to that growth than W.G. Simsonson. His property interests have been considerable, his faculties and energies ever on the alert for the community wellfare, and his advice timely and good.
115 Years Ago
December 25, 1908
William Kettleman was placed under arrest and taken before Police Judge Bullock Wednesday to answer to the charge of boot-legging. Complaint was filed by Marshal Laing, and the testimony of Joe Price was that Kettleman had sold to him a quart bottle of the liquid that inebriates, this having occurred on the 22nd inst.
110 Years Ago
December 26, 1913
Alliance acquaintances of W.H. Jagger, a Burlington switchman, will be sorry to learn that he met with a very serious accident about two months ago, while switching cards for the Burlington railroad at his home in Galesburg, Ill., and that he is now slowly recovering, after being at the point of death for several weeks.
105 Years Ago
December 27, 1918
W.D. Fisher, secretary of the Alliance Community Club, has tendered his resignation to the directors to take effect March 1st, at which time he will move with his family to their recently acquired homestead near Gillette, Wyo.
100 Years Ago
December 25, 1923
Lawrence Kemmieh,19-year-old son of City Manager and Mrs. N.A. Kemmish, had a miraculous escape from death Sunday evening when a bullet from a .32 calibre automatics revolver from which he was extracting a shell, discharged. The bullet struck him in the left breast just over the heart and lodged in his left shoulder. The accident happened at the home of Mr. and Mrs. A.H. Robbins where young Kemmish was spending the evening with King, Robbins and Billy Irish.
95 Years Ago
December 27, 1928
The death of William Groelz longtime and prominent resident of the community, was announced in the last issue of the Sun. The funeral services were conducted Sunday afternoon from the United Brethren church, where for many years the Groelz family had been active members and in the building of this church had given literally of their time and means.
90 Years Ago
December 26, 1933
When the Triple A wheat reduction checks for Box Butte county farmers failed to arrive in the mail Saturday morning a barrage of telegrams was directed to state and federal officials seeking information to the cause of the delay.
85 Years Ago
December 27, 1938
Increased business for the Alliance division of the Burlington railroad and for all other lines in the state was seen after the state railway commission Friday gave the roads authority to reduce the bulk of their intrastate freight rates to the present level of the uniform truck tariffs. The slash will become most effective January 2 and in most instances will amount to about 20 percent.
80 Years Ago
December 28, 1943
Despite the fact that several hundred residences, family units and apartments have been authorized for Alliance and some of them have been completed, there is still a crying need for places to live. Real estate men reveal that the greatest demand is for furnished apartments by small families who do not possess furniture and, because of the uncertainty of the duration of their residence in Alliance, do not wish to make this committment.
75 Years Ago
December 28, 1948
Orders for Clarke-McNary forest seedling trees have been exceptionally heavy this month, Box Butte County Agent John Decker said today. “Individual orders by farmers and ranchers have ranged from 100 and 200 seedlings up to as many as 2400 by one man in Hemigford,” the farm agebt said.
70 Years Ago
December 26, 1953
Joe Herian, Sr., a Western Nebraska pioneer who came to this area in 1888, died at his home here Thursday afternoon. He was 88 years old. Mr. Herian originally homesteaded 14 miles west of Hemingford and during that time, worked as a blacksmith in the Burlington shops here. He walked to and from work during his railroad career.
65 Years Ago
December 27, 1958
Santa Goofed – That’s the word from 5-year-old Mike McGuire, son of Mr. and Mrs. E.J. McGuire of 515 Sweetwater, today after Santa left him a sled for Christmas but no snow to use in on. Many Alliance youngsters found sleds under the tree this year, but the weatherman hasn’t cooperated.
60 Years Ago
December 27, 1963
Progress was made toward the goal of a museum for the City of Alliance Thursday evening. An alternate site for the location of the museum, the triangular-shaped the Highway No. 2 overpass, was recommended by the Museum Board to the City Council.
55 Years Ago
December 27, 1968
Robert E. Schmidt, Hays, Kans., a broadcasting executive and president elect of the Kansas State Chamber of Commerce will be the speaker for the annual Alliance Area Chamber of Commerce banquet at the Community Building here January 13.
50 Years Ago
December 27, 1973
Nearly 10,000 motor vehicle registration notices are to be mailed out on Monday by the Box Butte County assessor’s office, according to Assessor Alvin Hausmann. He said this is about 1,500 more than were sent to county residents a year ago.
45 Years Ago
December 27, 1978
Kelly Yost leads her brother Pat through an ice routine while father Larry skates along behind as a safety net, just in case one of the youngsters should get a little daring and catch an edge on a turn. Th trio were skating on the west finger of Laing Lake Tuesday afternoon until almost sundown.
40 Years Ago
December 27, 1983
The fund drive for the Cattle Capital Country Community Center moved closer to the $139,400 goal today with a donation from Harris Sales. The donation and Pledge from Harris Sales moved the new total to $102,414.48. Fund drive chairman is Keith Kemper. The 5 C’s project received a big boost just ahead of Christmas with a $10,000 donation from The Guardian State Bank and Trust Co.
35 Years Ago
December 27, 1988
County officers’ deputies will probably see their wages increase on January 1, 1989. The Box Butte County Commissioners Tuesday morning approved on a 2-0-1 vote a wage hike of $62.50 per month for the deputies. The raise for the deputies comes on the heels of a raise the commissioners gave last month to the county road department/veterans service officer’s secretary, Geri Cotes. Ms. Cotes’ salary was increased to $1,250 per month after she was offered a better job in Scottsbluff.
30 Years Ago
December 27, 1993
The City of Alliance is seeking individuals in serving on the Board of Adjustment (3), Museum Board (1), Park and Tree Board (3), and the Joint Airport Zoning Board (2). Individuals desiring to serve on these or any other City board should mail a brief resume to the City Clerk.
25 Years Ago
December 26, 1998
Teen pregnancy has become a national epidemic, at least during the second half of this century, and that trend holds true in Nebraska. Box Butte County, with a population of 13,100, had the second-highest rate in the state, percentage-wise, for teen births between 1993 and 1997. Of all births during that five-year span, 18.5 percent were teen births. Only neighboring Scotts Bluff County was higher in Nebraska during that period, with 19.3 percent.
20 Years Ago
December 30, 2003
The Alliance Police Department and Box Butte County Sheriff’s Office will once again be offering rides home on New Year’s Eve. APD Chief John Kiss said the police department will have a few extra patrols out that night and if anybody needs a ride they can call and request one. That option, Chief Kiss noted, is much better than being arrested for driving under the influence.
15 Years Ago
December 26, 2008
The new Alliance recycling center is moving forward, despite running into a few difficulties, according to Pasha Gonzalez, recycling coordinator for Keep Alliance Beautiful. “We have officially rented the building and started to move in,” she said. “However, we have run into a couple of roadblocks that have slowed us down.” One roadblock is the extremely cold weather the area has been experiencing.
10 Years Ago
December 26, 2013
The Box Butte General Hospital Board of Trustees meeting Monday, Dec. 23, was short and sweet for the holidays; with the hospital CEO Dan Griess’ report about the latest construction developments the highlight of the evening. He touched on a special Trustee meeting Dec. 16, where the board approved a resolution for the selling of revenue bonds for the interim construction financing through First National Bank of Omaha in the amount $28,750,000.
5 Years Ago
December 29, 2018
Alliance Kmart is on the List of Stores Closing. Sears is closing 80 more stores as it teeters on the brink of liquidation. The 130-year old retailer set a deadline of Friday for bids for its remaining stores. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in October. At the time of filing, it operated about 700 Sears and Kmart stores. Alliance’s Kmart in on the list of stores that are expected to close. Reports state that the closure will take place by March 2019.