130 Years Ago
July 22, 1892
The arrest of A. E. Hill, Red Davis and Soaper for cattle stealing created quite a sensation in town. Mr. Hill from Alliance, Nebraska bought Horgan’s market in Hill City a few months ago and has been conducting the business up to the time of his arrest. The people of this city and the hills in general owe thanks to Billy Van Allen for the pluck and energy he has shown in breaking up this robber gang. Mr. Allen, who suspected them of crookedness in their business, watched them for a month, and when he had sufficient evidence against them advised Sheriff Wood of Custer county, of the circumstances. With P. Eskins who had lost some cattle, and Ed. Hart, the cattle detective, the sheriff watched the parties slaughter the beef and cut the brand out from the hide and bury it.
125 Years Ago
June 23, 1897
“The Black Hills Animal show” occupied the attention of the youngsters of the city Monday afternoon and evening. It consisted of a wagon carrying a number of the species of small animals that are found in the hills, and will probably be well patronized after a few hundred miles farther east.
120 Years Ago
July 22, 1902
W. S. Ridgell opened his new bowling alley to the public last Saturday night, having the brass band in attendance. He has an elegant place fitted with a couple of the most improved alleys, billiard and pool tables Thursday afternoons from 2 to 5 o’clock will be reserved for the ladies and they are especially urged to come Friday evenings with their escorts.
115 Years Ago
July 23, 1907
Wm. B. Parker writes the Times from Laramie, Wyo., that he has leased the Carmicle building, opposite the post office, and will open a store to be known as the “Bee Hive” about August 3rd. The business will consist almost entirely of articles selling at five and ten cents. This firm is experienced in that line of business and will doubtless do a nice business in our lively city. An advertisement will be placed in these columns representing the firm after this week.
110 Years Ago
July 23, 1912
Friday night 125 people gathered at the home of Mr. and Mrs. A. S. Gerdes in the country to participate in the third annual barn dance given by them. Thirty were present from Alliance, fifteen from Hemingford, and the remainder were from the Gerdes’ home neighborhood and adjacent communities. Music was furnished by Kuhn’s orchestra of Hemingford, and it was of a high order. After spending the evening in dancing, luncheon was served.
105 Years Ago
July 20, 1917
A dispute over a line fence in Cherry County, Tuesday night, resulted in the shooting of Amos J. Birch, a fifty-year-old farmer, who was brought to St. Joseph’s hospital suffering with a bullet wound through his left leg and a wound in the right one. Fred Stone, whose place joins that of Birch, is charged with the shooting.
100 Years Ago
July 21, 1922
“Chubby” Watson the noted “stunt” aviator of Texas, will take to the air in an airplane piloted by Lieut. Toncray, formerly of the U. S. aviation service, and once the big ship has climbed to a safe distance over the buildings Watson will start his circus performance. While the machine travels at a speed of 100 miles an hour, Watson will climb out on the wings, stand on his head, swing into space from the side of the ship, perform on a trapeze suspended beneath the machine and many other “daredevil” stunts which are common in the usual circus but very uncommon on an airplane.
95 Years Ago
July 22, 1927
It was reported from Rushville at 2 o’clock today that Mrs. J. L. Wilson had confessed to the county attorney of Sheridan county that she had prepared the poison capsules which her mother, Mrs. Dan Loomis, took Sunday night, resulting in her death an hour later, and the narrow escape of her father, Dan Loomis, postmaster at Marple. Mrs. Wilson stoutly maintained her innocence until the coroner’s jury reconvened at Rushville this morning. She will be brought before Judge Meyer at chambers in Alliance at 4 o’clock this afternoon.
90 Years Ago
July 22, 1932
Verda Shigley, ten-year-old child who was knocked down and dragged for some distance by an auto driven by Bill Dearing, 17, is recovering slowly from injuries. One arm will always be stiff, it was indicated. The defense is that the girl was on a scooter and dashed in front of the car. Witnesses at the hearing stated that the car was being operated at an excessive speed and was unable to stop quickly when the girl was struck.
85 Years Ago
July 20, 1937
Harold “Spike” Domnisse, one of the trio who were halted in their attempt to saw out of the state penitentiary at Lincoln, was one of the two men who ever broke out of the Box Butte county jail. On Christmas night, 1930, Domnisse and his partner in the Hay Springs bank robbery, Forest Cook, “jimmied” open the lock on their cell door, in which they were confined awaiting transfer to Lincoln, pried open the door into the corridor and escaped while crowds stood around a Christmas tree in front of the court house singing carols. Domnisse and Cook were captured the next morning by Sheriff G. P. Jones and a posse who tracked them to a cave in a lonely canyon near Chadron. After an exchange of shots the fugitives were captured and returned to jail.
80 Years Ago
July 21, 1942
The Nation needs your scrap iron . . . needs it badly, because scrap is essential in the manufacture of steel for all war materials. There are millions of tons of scrap scattered around every farm, every ranch, every village and hamlet in the country. The problem is to get it together for shipment to the country’s steel mills and to do it AT ONCE.
75 Years Ago
July 22, 1947
With a roar that rattled automobiles, broke windows and stripped trees, a flash flood and hail storm hit Alliance late yesterday afternoon, bringing 1.20 inches of rain in a half hour and causing damage to city gardens. Hailstones an inch in diameter fell in the brief period. Basements were flooded and the gutters ran full within the first few minutes. One service station had five windows broken. The city park’s flower gardens were ruined and the ground was littered with leaves stripped from branches by the hail stones. Grain fields around Alliance suffered some damage.
70 Years Ago
July 22, 1952
An Alliance photographer, Glen Worley, won first place in the contest held at Omaha over the weekend by the Photographers Association on six photographs to capture the over-all championship from exhibitors from Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota and Kansas.
65 Years Ago
July 20, 1957
C. D. Coleman of Alliance is the new village marshal of Hemingford. Mayor George R. Bacon announced today that Coleman, who lives with his family at 1039 Missouri in Alliance, would assume his new position on Monday. Hemingford had advertised for a marshal in The Times Herald earlier this week. A night policeman still is needed, Bacon said.
60 Years Ago
July 20, 1962
Alliance was mopping up today after a 30-minute wind, rain and hailstorm did tens of thousands of dollars worth of property damage Thursday evening while most people were finishing dinner. There was no report of injury attributed to the storm. The storm, with hail stones the size of golf balls, blew through the city with gusts up to 104 miles per hour shortly before 6:30 p.m. At 6:30 the electricity went out all over the City’s power network. And many telephones were knocked out of service.
55 Years Ago
July 20, 1967
Three pens of big ornery bulls, brought here by Producer Walt Alsbough of Alamosa, Colo., were snorting around the Sandhills Rodeo Grounds today awaiting the start of the Cattle Capital Rodeo Friday night. In the bull herd is “Fabian”, selected last year as one of the 15 toughest bulls in the nation to ride. The Alsworth stock also includes four broncs chosen for last year’s Rodeo Cowboys of America.
50 Years Ago
July 19, 1972
Four young men from Box Butte County who have recently enlisted in military service were among 182 reclassified at the July meeting of the Selective Service Board, it was announced here today. The four are: Ralph E. Price, Hemingford, son of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Price, Navy; Michael D. Thompson, Alliance, son of Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Thompson, Army; Erwin W. Sydow, Alliance, son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Sydow, Army; and Monte D. Zillinger, Alliance, son of Mr. and Mrs. David Zillinger, Air Force delay program.
45 Years Ago
July 20, 1077
A bulldozer operator clears out a pile of brush along Emerson Road just north of Alliance, clearing a path for an entry to the first phase of the Lakefield development. Community Development Consultants of Omaha are developing the 160 acre addition.
40 Years Ago
July 21, 1982
An effort by a group of Alliance people to replace the Senior Citizens Center lost in 1980 with the razing of the former Chimney Town administration building has paid off. This was done to clear the location on Boyd Avenue for the new Good Samaritan Towers apartment building. As announced the new Senior Citizen Center will be at 212 Yellowstone Avenue. Negotiations have been completed to purchase the 2,400-square-foot George Woods interiors building from Sarah Woods, widow of the man who built it. Mrs. Woods plans to relocate and continue the business.
35 Years Ago
July 20, 1987
Mike Dafney shows off what he considers his greatest asset during the Heritage Days Legs Contest in the Elks Parking Lot, Friday evening.
30 Years Ago
July 20, 1992
The Alliance Volunteer Fire Department takes fire fighting into the future with the “space tanker.” The AVFD Heritage Days Parade entry also included and antique truck and retired firemen and the present day firefighting equipment.
25 Years Ago
July 21, 1997
The Alliance Arts Council’s season opener will be a “Fabulous Flashback to the Fifties!” On October 18 the Colorado Academy of the Arts will perform “Shake, Rattle and Roll,” a nine person musical revue with some of rocks most memorable music and energetic choreography.
20 Years Ago
July 20, 2002
Guests at an appreciation dinner for Donovan DuPrey (played by Dane Ross) find the guest of honor dead during a dress rehearsal of “Mystery On Open Mike” at the Eagles Club. Directed by Elaine Connelly Bleisch, who co-wrote the play with Jason Wentworth for the murder mystery dinner theater. The audience is invited to try to solve murder(s) by writing their suspects and motives on a ballot. Set in Pleasantville, Neb., DuPrey, a long-time radio personality is being honored by KHIP FM. However, everyone at the party seems to have a reason to get rid of “the most popular man in town.”
15 Years Ago
July 21, 2007
Beth Boum has found the spike in this year’s annual Heritage Days contest. The spike was hidden in between Bower Park and Bower-Shankland Field on East Second. Boum said she had gone looking for the spike and noticed some trash in the park. While gathering the trash, she found the spike head sticking out of the ground. Because she has a Heritage Days button, Boum, received $300 in Chamber Bucks.
10 Years Ago
July 20, 2012
Sponsored by the United Methodist Church, Hannah Wood, Lyndsey Block, and Ashtyn Shrewsbury performing as the “Jonas Brothers” during Wednesday night’s Gong Show, hold the grand prize check for $516.32. The three plan to give the money to the mission committee to go to Kenya.
5 Years Ago
July 22, 2017
Harold and Maurine Roller, in a ceremony sponsored by First National Bank, were crowned Heritage Days Grand Marshals. Harold was born in Imperial in 1941. He moved to Alliance in 1979 when he bought the former Gambles Store and opened Roller Hardware, a business that he operated in downtown Alliance for 27 years, until he sold it to current owners Greg and Lisa Carter.