130 Years Ago
June 8, 1894
Council met in regular session Tuesday night, mayor in chair and members all present. Petition for sidewalk of J. H. Eaton and eighteen others to build walk from southeast corner of block 25 to northeast corner of block 1 and along east side of blocks one and two, South Alliance road.
125 Years Ago
June 9, 1899
The school board met Monday evening in regular monthly session. It was decided that the committee on buildings and grounds should have charge of the disbursement and care of the trees and lawn, with the chairman of the board as treasurer of fund, which amounts to about $100.
120 Years Ago
June 3, 1904
Mr. C. W. Whetstone of this city, is one of the old soldier boys possessed of some war-time mementoes that are of more than passing interest. One of these is a bank book picked up on the Nashville battlefield in 1862, which contains business entries dated back to 1828. An old fashioned pocketbook lost by some rebel is another of these relics.
115 Years Ago
June 4, 1909
A car of tile will be used at various places about Alliance to improve the drainage, under crossings, etc. Across Box Butte avenue in the depression just north of the court house, the old curbing will be taken up and a new tile placed under the street, the twenty four inch size being used for this purpose.
110 Years Ago
June 5, 1914
No, it wasn’t a false alarm. The fire bells and the whistles were used to announce the signing of the 250th member of the Alliance Commericial club at ten o’clock Thursday morning. Before the end of the week it is safe to say that three hundred will have signed for membership in the one best club Alliance has ever had.
105 Years Ago
June 6, 1919
T-bone or rye—that is the question. An aftermath of the million dollar movie question was heard in Judge Tash’s court Thursday afternoon when George Brandon was fined $100 and the costs on a charge of supplying the information which led to J. W. Riley was subpoenaed to give testimony before the county attorney a few days ago and at that time he told that Brandon had intimated to him that he would be able to get a drink if he accompanied him to the Vogel place. But when Riley testified Thursday afternoon he forgot what he told a day or two before.
100 Years Ago
June 6, 1924
The city council, at its regular meeting Thursday night, adopted an ordinance, to go into effect immediately, placing a ban on the sales of firecrackers, and their use as well, save on the 3rd, 4th and 5th of July of each year. Violation carries a penalty of a fine from $1 to $100. The council voted unanimously in favor of the ordinance.
95 Years Ago
June 4, 1929
Marion “Toughey” Hayes, 26, was rescued from a smoke-filled apartment above the Citizens National bank building in Hemingford Saturday forenoon. A gasoline stove is reported to have exploded in an apartment occupied by Hayes. Volunteer firemen answering the alarm found Hayes. He was burned on the lower limbs. The blaze did not cause heavy damage before it was extinguished by the fire fighters.
90 Years Ago
June 5, 1934
Popularity of the doubtful sport of chasing the fire truck with automobiles has grown in recent weeks to the point where it is constituting a serious menace to public safety and efficiency of the department, city authorities declared yesterday. Don’t chase the truck, is their warning.
85 Years Ago
June 6, 1939
A group of youths who were found swimming in the municipal pool late last night escaped pursuing police officers, but the cops had plenty of clues and one of the youths had plenty of nothing. When the youths departed hastily, police found one had left his clothes, his billfold and his watch, apparently heading for home in his birthday suit. They were waiting for him to claim his apparel this morning.
80 Years Ago
June 6, 1944
In an impressive ceremony at the Alliance Air Base Saturday morning, Colonel Robert Copsey commanding officers of the Baer Field Fort Wayne, Ind., pinned the Air Medal and two Oak Leaf Clusters on his brother, Vern Copsey, an honor posthumously conferred upon the latter’s son, 2nd Lt. Richard V. Copsey, who was killed in the invasion of Sicily last summer.
75 Years Ago
June 7, 1949
Mr. and Mrs. Jack Sampson returned last weekend from a bear hunting trip to the Canadian Rockies. On the trip Sampson bagged his fifth bear, a medium-sized grizzly with an unusual white-backed pelt. Sampson shot the grizzly at close range after a difficult climb up the side of a high mountain. The kill was made on May 29.
70 Years Ago
June 5, 1954
City police announced this morning that they will begin enforcing the “no parking” area near Bower Field. During ball games, Second Street between Grand and Mississippi Avenues is closed to parking and city police will begin to ticket all cars in that area. “Fans going into the game cannot park their cars in that area and walk into the park,” City Manager R. W. Laing said. “Those cars will be ticketed just as quick as those of people who park out there to watch without entering the park.”
65 Years Ago
June 5, 1959
De-Mar Inc., Alliance’s newest industry, already has outgrown its present quarters at 124 Laramie and is moving into larger facilities at the Municipal Airport. In the only major action at the City Council meeting Thursday night, City Manager R. W. Laing was authorized to negotiate terms of a lease on the former BES building left available when the Air Force Base was deactivated.
60 Years Ago
June 5, 1964
Jean Phillip of Alliance has been awarded the masonry contract for the new Alliance Knight Museum. The announcement was made this morning by City Manager R. W. Laing. Phillip’s bid was $8,997.78 for the 1-story brick structure. The first phase of the concrete work was completed Thursday by Alliance Construction of Alliance.
55 Years Ago
June 5, 1969
Vandals damaged three headstone monuments at the Calvary Cemetery Monday night, Sheriff Freddie Marsh reported today. Marsh said that he received information from the cemetery’s caretaker today that crosses atop two monuments had been broken off and that another entire monument was tipped over and the cross atop it also was broken off.
50 Years Ago
June 5, 1974
Ed Lewis is the new mayor and president of the City Council following Tuesday night’s statutory reorganization meeting of the Council. Lewis succeeds Anthony Yeager as mayor. Lewis, a retired postal carrier, is starting the second half of his first four-year term on the Council. He becomes mayor in the same year that he is also the Exalted Ruler of the Elks.
45 Years Ago
June 6, 1979
The Board of Education appointed Richard Boness to fill the Alliance High School Activities Director vacancy Tuesday night, only five days after Robert Morris announced his resignation from the post. The board, after meeting in executive session at the conclusion of the regular meeting, voted to hire Boness as half-time actives director and half-time assistant principal at a salary of $23,000.
40 Years Ago
June 5, 1984
Set aside this Saturday to join the Sandhills Cattle Association in Alliance for its 45th annual convention, advises Linda Garwood of Valentine, secretary-manager. Beginning at 11:30 a.m., registration will take place at convention headquarters located “under the big top” between the Eagles and Legion Clubs on West Third Street.
35 Years Ago
June 5, 1989
An Alliance rancher who won a $1.2 million judgment from the Production Credit Association of the Midlands said a jury has restored his faith in the judicial system. As the PCA and lawyer Howard Olson ponder an appeal, Joe Nelson said Friday that he felt renewed by the result of a two-week North Platte trial presided over by the U.S. District Court Judge Warren Urbom.
30 Years Ago
June 4, 1994
Shannon Garwood, Heritage Garwood, Heritage Days Committee chairperson, has announced that nominations are being accepted for Heritage Days 1994 Grandmarshall(s).
25 Years Ago
June 5, 1999
The Box Butte County Commissioners will convene as the Board of Equilibrium during their first order of regular-meeting business this coming Monday, June 7. The commissioners will review several reports and requests by county directors, employees and volunteers: Betty Phillips, county fair progress; County Assessor Marilyn Lore, computer and personnel items; County Treasurer Kim Burke, painting of office, typewriter and calculators; Road superintendent Barbara Keegan, road report and transportation operation assistance agreement
20 Years Ago
June 5, 2004
The Alliance Public Schools Board of Education will ratify the bond election results from all counties who have APS as their main high school at their regular Monday June 7, evening meeting at the Administrative Building. The board will also consider option enrollment requests, teacher appointments and a special overnight trip request.
15 Years Ago
June 5, 2009
On a three to one vote, the Alliance City Council approved the dog park location as 1603 Box Butte Avenue. Vice-Mayor Lori Rowley was absent and Mayor Ralph Yeager voted against the resolution, saying he wasn’t against a dog park in Alliance, just in that location.
10 Years Ago
June 5, 2014
Wednesday night, about 50 area residents came to the Performing Arts Center for a meeting regarding the possible closure of the Hot Springs, South Dakota VA hospital. Facilitators for the meeting were from the “Save the VA” organization, which has been increasingly active since 2011 when it was first proposed to close certain services at the hospital in Hot Springs, a hospital that has been serving veterans since 1907.
5 Years Ago
June 5, 2019
In an effort to bring an event that is expected to 200 young people to Alliance, Edison Red Nest II submitted a request to the Alliance School Board Monday night to use Bulldog Stadium as a place to host the event. The event, a lacrosse clinic that will feature national all-star lacrosse athletes, the Thompson brothers, is set to take place July 2-3.
*Compiled from The Alliance Times-Herald Archives by staff.