130 Years Ago
July 27, 1894
Some fellow feloniously abstracted about $30 from the cash drawer at the Grant house Sunday morning while the night clerk was at the depot greeting passengers from the east with, “Hotel, sir?” The theft was not discovered until morning however, and there was no clue to the identity of the bold visitor. The lights were left burning brightly and as no one was seen about at the time it is presumed that the thief crawled in from the hall, keeping out of sight below the office counter and pried the money drawer down until the bolt of the lock would slip by. Several dollars in silver in an upper compartment were not disturbed, the fellow only removing the greenbacks.
125 Years Ago
July 28, 1899
The county officials and records will be moved to their new quarters in the county court house next Tuesday. The building has been fitted quite conveniently, handsomely and satisfactorily by the Lincoln Land Co. The next thing needed is a new walk to connect with the building.
120 Years Ago
July 29, 1904
An alarm of fire brought out the boys of the Alert department in short order Wednesday forenoon. A small blaze occurred at the home of Mahion Joder, but the ladies of the house had the presence of mind to turn on a stream with the garden hose and the fire was put out thus quickly and easily. The damage was slight.
115 Years Ago
July 30, 1909
A new well to the depth of one hundred and sixty-five feet was completed near the electric light plant this week for the city. It is an eight-inch hole and was tested on Wednesday for an hour, furnishing 15,000 gallons of water without being diminished appreciably.
110 Years Ago
July 31, 1914
By Hayes, who escaped from the jail at Scottsbluff where he was awaiting sentence for horse stealing, was picked up on Box Butte avenue by Chief Jeffers Thursday afternoon and was taken back to that place Friday noon by Sheriff Aaron. Since departing from the jail, Hayes says he has been working in the harvest fields of Kansas and the constant strain of being on the lookout for detectives has proved too much and he is willing to go back and face the music.
105 Years Ago
July 29, 1919
No danger of a water shortage this year is the report which comes from the city water department at the crest of one of the heaviest demands ever made on the city wells. While only 541,000 gallons were pumped Sunday, the demand has exceeded the 800,000 gallon mark in a day during the past week and the big pumps aided by the reservoir have been able to supply the demand and to keep the pressure well up to the maximum.
100 Years Ago
July 29, 1924
The road between Alliance and Broadwater, a portion of the Gulf-Plains-Canadian highway, is to be made safe for automobile tourists, if the plans of the chambers of commerce of Alliance and Broadwater are successful.
95 Years Ago
July 30, 1929
Complete and detailed plans for rebuilding and connecting up an extensive storm sewer system through the east side of the city to beyond the railroad viaduct at the southeast corner of Alliance have been made and were placed before the city council at their adjourned meeting last Friday evening. The plans provide for the laying of large sewer mains down through the east side and starting at Tenth street and a half block east of Niobrara avenue.
90 Years Ago
July 31, 1934
Northwestern Nebraska has had its first earthquake! Distinct, but not violent, earth tremors were felt in Alliance and dozens of other communities in northwestern Nebraska and the Black Hills section of South Dakota about 12:20 a.m. Monday. The ‘quake was not violent enough to cause damage, but it has supplied the choicest of conversational topics since. Many Alliance residents were awakened from sound sleep by one, or perhaps two, shocks which were pronounced enough to rattle dishes in cupboards, rattle windows, sway lighting fixtures and rock beds and other furniture preceptably.
85 Years Ago
July 28, 1939
Box Butte county’s grand total real and personal property valuation for tax purposes, was set by local officials this week at $11,719,717, upon receipt of notification of the values placed on franchises and railroad property, exclusive of terminals, from the state tax commission.
80 Years Ago
July 28, 1944
In the latest communique from the War Department listing men wounded inaction on the Mediterranean appears the name of 2d Lt. Charles E. Adams, the son of Charles E. Adams, Sr., of Alliance. Details of the injuries and how sustained are not given.
75 Years Ago
July 29, 1949
Trapped beneath mud and water for nearly three minutes, Cecil Deisch of Alliance was dragged to safety at 10 p.m. last night after an irrigation well caved in. Deisch is an employee of Meder & Smith, Alliance well drilling firm. He was working on a new well on the Keith Sorum farm on West Tenth Street when the cave-in occurred.
70 Years Ago
July 31, 1954
The largest Alliance contingent of National Guardsmen will board a special troop train early Sunday morning for the annual summer encampment at Camp Ripley, Minn. Sixty-five enlisted men and three officers will hold roll call at 12:30 a.m. Sunday at the National Guard Armory and will march to the Burlington depot in a group for the 2:15 a.m. departure.
65 Years Ago
July 31, 1959
Three new ordinances were passed, including one expanding the City limits, a petition requesting permission to park camping trailers within the City was received, and a new 5-year lease for Alliance Municipal Airport Manager Byron Appleby was approved by the Alliance City Council Thursday night.
60 Years Ago
July 31, 1964
While it is not official, it appears that Alliance and Hemingford citizens will pay taxes at a smaller mill-levy rate next year than this. During the current year the rate paid by Alliance citizens on personal and real property is 89.45. The rate next year, unofficially, will be 87.545.
55 Years Ago
July 31, 1969
No citizens appears Wednesday at a courthouse public hearing to protest the proposed Box Butte County budget for the 1969-70 fiscal year. The County Commissioners did not take any action on the proposed budget of $881,491.46.
50 Years Ago
July 31, 1974
The retirement of Police Chief Verlin Hutton takes effect Thursday and no replacement has been named, according to City Manager Robert Placek. Placek told the Times-Herald that Chief Hutton has been retained in an advisory capacity until the naming of a new chief, and will continue to be in charge of the police department.
45 Years Ago
July 31, 1979
A 17-year-old Kalkaska, Mich., man narrowly escaped serious injury Monday night when a Burlington Northern freight train plowed into a loaded wheat truck near grain elevators on the north edge of Hemingford. An estimated 500 bushels of wheat were spewed across road and railroad tracks, and the truck was totally destroyed. Damages to the BN engine were listed at about $1,000.
40 Years Ago
July 31, 1984
For the eleventh time in thirteen years Alliance Chapter, Order of DeMolay, was named Nebraska’s DeMolay Chapter of the Year at last weekend’s Nebraska DeMolay Conclave in Lincoln.
35 Years Ago
July 31, 1989
The City of Alliance has received a shipment of new trash containers, an all-galvanized product made in Nebraska. The Nebraska-made containers have been tried and proven in McCook, and as far away as Texas, California and New Mexico.
30 Years Ago
July 30, 1994
A 14-year-old Hemingford boy became a hero when he dived into a lake to resuce his mother from drowning. Curtis Wilson was on vacation with his family in Kansas when, on July 8, a skiing accident left his mother, Vicki Wilson, in the water alone and choking for air.
25 Years Ago
July 31, 1999
Members of Lincoln’s F Street Rec Center joined hands in a copy of the Carhenge monument. The 31 second through sixth graders traveled across the state learning about the state and the people of Nebraska. One adult helper reported that when the kids return to Lincoln, they have made plans to make another copy of Carhenge. This replica won’t be quite as large as the group planned to construct it out of the children’s yo-yos that each took on the trip.
20 Years Ago
July 31, 2004
“This has been the greatest achievement in my life, so far,” U.S. Army Spec 4 Mark Colerick stated Tuesday after returning home from the war in Iraq on Monday. “I never expected to go to war and make it back home safe and sound.” Colerick noted that receiving cards from individuals and businesses at Christmastime was great, and receiving letters from friends and family was terrific.
15 Years Ago
July 31, 2009
Tuesday morning, the Alliance Fire Department responded to a fire alarm at the Box Butte County Jail. Though the alarm was the result of a power surge tripping an old switch and not an actual fire, Chief Jailer Monte Hovik said the jail is prepared for when a fire breaks out.
10 Years Ago
July 31, 2014
Earlier this month, Alliance High School incoming seniors Christa Horn and Hanna Swanson took home gold medals when they attended the 2014 Family Career and Community Leaders of America National Conference in San Antonio, Texas.
5 Years Ago
July 31, 2019
Early Saturday morning, volunteers gathered at Dobby’s Frontier Town to raise a livery stable, helping bring another piece of history to life. Lori White, President of Dobby’s Frontier Town, explained the project has been in the works for a while.
*Compiled from The Alliance Times-Herald Archives by staff.