130 Years Ago
January 3, 1896
A. V. Gruber, who lives on Carmicle’s ranch, called last Saturday to subscribe for the Times. He recently trapped five coyotes, and a very large eagle. The latter measured seven feet four inches from tip to tip of its wings.
125 Years Ago
January 4, 1901
With the exception of two cases, the smallpox situation has improved decidedly since our last issue. Had it not been for the two referred to, Alliance would soon have been as of yore. One referred to is that of Dr. Vaughn, whose death was caused by a complication of lung trouble and smallpox.
120 Years Ago
January 5, 1906
Reports from the three children of Fred Baur, who died last wee from typhoid fever, are that they are gradually improving, though the youngest is yet very sick.
115 Years Ago
January 3, 1911
During the recent cold spell, seven sections of the boiler at the central school building froze and burst. The boiler was placed in the building only a few months ago, was in good condition, and the damage will amount to between $400 and $500.
110 Years Ago
January 7, 1916
A real deteckative, an honor graduate from the Sunlight Correspondence School of Deteckativery (complete course in thirty lessons) came in from Omaha Thursday disguised as a nurse girl. He reports the unraveling of a mystery that concerns Alliance and one that will set the very pulse of the city to throbbing at an alarming rate.
105 Years Ago
January 4, 1921
With a total of 8,835 cars of stock handled through the Alliance stock yards during the year 1920 an idea can be gained of the importance of this phase of railroad business in this city. Of these 7,295 cars were cattle, 291 horses, 850 sheep, 233 hogs and 166 emigrants.
100 Years Ago
January 5, 1926
Liquor cases resulting from a raid staged at Hemingford last Thursday by Alliance and Hemingford officials were taken up Saturday afternoon by County Judge Ira E. Tash. Sam Holloway, whose garage was the object of a search which yielded a quantity of mash, according to the testimony of Sheriff George Jones, was bound over to the district court.
95 Years Ago
January 6, 1931
A case charging failure to halt his car at a “stop” sign, against Billy Irish was the instance of a police court discussion yesterday on what is a stop and what is not. In the eyes of the law, a definite and proper halting is back of the street “stop” sign. The defendant was ticketed, according to the officer, when the auto’s front wheels went a few feet beyond the sign and over the crossing.
90 Years Ago
January 3, 1936
Sam Zeras, shoe shining parlor proprietor, who had been held in the county jail since Tuesday for observation was released yesterday to a brother, Jim Zeras. Acting queerly for two days and carrying too many of the wrong kind of knives, Zeras was under observation at first, but was not jailed, although in the opinion of some, he should have been.
85 Years Ago
January 3, 1941
Alliance’s number one “little stranger” for 1941 is a girl, born at 3:16 a.m. at St. Joseph’s hospital, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. A. L. Goding. A number of valuable awards presented by local merchants await the “prize baby” and her parents.
80 Years Ago
January 4, 1946
Smoke and flames from burning waste at the Alliance Petroleum Co. Refinery caused someone to report a fire, Wednesday afternoon. The firemen made a run to the refinery, but most of the residue had been burned before they arrived.
75 Years Ago
January 2, 1951
If you want to get feeling real bad a good way to do it is look through the files of the newspapers of the 1920’s and 30’s and compare some of the prices with present-day ones. Maybe those were “the good old days” after all.
70 Years Ago
January 4, 1956
Parents of Alliance Junior High School students not doing passing work will receive an invitation in the mail from teachers asking them to come to the school for conferences. This is the first time such a method has been used here but, according to Principal Dean Mitchell, it has helped in many cases to bring up grades and enable the students to receive full credit for courses.
65 Years Ago
January 7, 1961
Members of the Chamber of Commerce Monday will hear complete plans of the Good Samaritan Society of Fargo, N. D., to convert the Chimney Town housing area into a home for senior citizens. The Society had purchased the 17-acre area in East Alliance from the City for $45,000 and took possession Dec. 1.
60 Years Ago
January 3, 1966
Alliance’s first born of 1966 arrived at 10:35 p.m. Saturday at St. Joseph’s Hospital, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. David Rector of 508 West Fourth Street. Her father calls her weigh-in total, 7-pounds 11-ounces,, the luckiest number possible.
55 Years Ago
January 4, 1971
After more than fifty years service, E. M. Cooper is retiring from his job as engineer for the Burlington Northern Railroad. Cooper, who was born in Baltimore, Md., on April 7, 1901, hired out as a fireman on the Alliance division on March 24, 1920. He was promoted to engineer in 1942.
50 Years Ago
January 2, 1976
The market explosion of citizen band (CB) radio sales exhibited its useful possibilities Thursday as an Alliance man was “saved” from snowdrifts twice on Highway 385. Mike Lulow reportedly was driving a pickup nine miles north of Alliance when it became stuck.
45 Years Ago
January 3, 1981
While he is seldom in Alliance, the face of Jack Rader is a familiar one to his former classmates of Alliance High School. The reason – Rader is a television (and stage) actor, and has appeared in network movies many times. His roles have included that of Sgt. Fitzgerald in the “Friendly Fire” starring Carol Burnett.
40 Years Ago
January 3, 1986
The Alliance City Council has tossed the question around for months now on what to do with Laing Lake and it looks as though it will finally tackle that issue come January 27. The city is proposing to spend up to $20,000 to place a concrete pad along the lake’s shoreline to stop erosion.
35 Years Ago
January 4, 1991
Everything owned by Bill and Tina Clark was destroyed in a Thursday morning mobile home fire, but people around the community are doing their best to replace as much as they can. The fire was caused by children playing with a lighter in the bedroom.
30 Years Ago
January 6, 1996
When the doors close for the last time today at Thiele Jewelers, so will a long chapter in the history of Alliance. Ben Fischer, master jeweler and owner of the store since 1985, is retiring and selling the building to Charles Lierk, who will expand his neighboring Thiele Drugstore.
25 Years Ago
January 4, 2001
“If we weren’t here, you’d miss us,” Deb Warren, director of Keep Alliance Beautiful (KAB) said recently. “But often people don’t see us.” Warren, who has been with KAB since mid-October, explained that an entity such as KAB may not be in the public eye, but the litter and cleanup projects would be missed if not done.
20 Years Ago
January 5, 2006
From chapel, to office, meeting room, counselor session room gathering room, now back to chapel. Thirty-one years ago, last October, the first spade full of soil was turned for Box Butte General Hospital on property donated by the Peterson family.
15 Years Ago
January 5, 2011
Box Butte Family Focus Coalition presented the Responsible Alcohol Merchant Award (RAMA) to the Alliance Volunteer Fire Department this week. “The fire department recently had two volunteers participate in a Responsible Beverage Server Training,” Janelle Hansen, Family Focus community organizer, said.
10 Years Ago
January 4, 2016
The Alliance Police Department is investigating a scam relating to a fraudulent posting of a house for rent in Alliance on Craigslist. Prospective tenants should exercise caution when communicating with individuals who claim to own property in the area.
5 Years Ago
January 6, 2021
For 134 years, the Alliance Times-Herald has been there to report on local news and keep citizens informed about what is happening in their community, Kathryn Kellar and Shaun Friedrichsen wish to continue that tradition while honoring the publication’s history after purchasing the media company.
*Compiled from The Alliance Times-Herald Archives by Christine Melcher