130 Years Ago
March 13, 1896
Ed. Taylor has secured the agency for a patent broom that is said to have many advantages, and is canvassing the town.
125 Years Ago
March 15, 1901
John Keefe’s very familiar features were in evidence on the streets of Alliance last Saturday.
120 Years Ago
March 13, 1906
Saturday night while Sheriff Wiker was in attendance at the glass blowers’ exhibition, a tramp called him outside and asked to be taken to jail, saying that he had just stolen some property. The sheriff informed him that he would have to confess what he had stolen before he could accommodate him, and the tramp said it was a pair of shears from a printing office, and that he had sold them for money and purchased a little of the inner warmth.
115 Years Ago
March 14, 1911
L. Lowery received a carload of Ford automobiles the last of the week. One of these was sold to Crawford parties without delay, while John Snoddy of this city bought a five-passenger car and is gliding about with the rest of the car crowd nowadays.
110 Years Ago
March 17, 1916
F. E. Snyder, of Independence, Kansas, claims he was robbed of $47 while he was asleep at the Atlas Rooming House last Monday night. Snyder is a well dressed man and his story that he had quite an amount of money might be true. He came here last Sunday to look over the land prospects but he evidently guzzled too much shark soup and lost his bearings.
105 Years Ago
March 18, 1921
Vandals damaged the pneumatic tires on Ed Young’s truck last night to the extent of about $50, according to Clarence Schafer the vulcanizer. The car was standing in front of Mr. Young’s house when the miscreants slashed the tires with a knife. Slits six inches long were cut in some of the tires and holes were jabbed in the others.
100 Years Ago
March 19, 1926
During the first 18 days of March the police have made 47 arrests and fines aggregating $1,000 have been paid into court. The charges have been principally gambling and drinking.
95 Years Ago
March 17, 1931
For 10 years we have twiddled our thumbs while Scottsbluff has had gravel and paved highways; Chadron has a completed gravel highway both east and west – and we have a record for pent-house patience.
90 Years Ago
March 13, 1936
Arthur Coleman, formerly of Cambridge, Neb., is being held in the Red Willow county jail at McCook as a “material witness” against William “Pat” King of Alliance, who is charged with the robbery of the Scottsbluff National Bank.
85 Years Ago
March 14, 1941
George H. Davis, janitor for the post office since 1929, entered a plea of guilty to stealing mail when arraigned before U.S. Commissioner Frank Broome Wednesday, and is now being held as a federal prisoner in the county jail.
80 Years Ago
March 15, 1946
Danny Jordan of the eighth grade in junior high school received honorable mention in the Omaha World-Herald’s scholastic art contest on three water colors he submitted. The awards were announced Sunday and the drawings are on display in Omaha this week.
75 Years Ago
March 14, 1951
The Realm of Possibility Dept: A local automotive dealer found a long-time resident of the Northwest surveying his newly graded and graveled used car lot with great interest. After several minutes of silent speculation he turned to the dealer with a nod of approval and muttered “Yep, purty dang good idea…it just might rain again one of these days at that!”
70 Years Ago
March 14, 1956
Alliance Junior High students can eat lunch in their own cafeteria starting Thursday noon. The Board of Education Tuesday night approved Supt. L. E. Morrison’s plans for Thursday opening, but decided to limit the cafeteria to Junior High students only for a trial period of about two weeks. Proposed changes in Junior and Senior High lunch hour schedules were tabled until results of the 2-week trial are studied.
65 Years Ago
March 13, 1961
Double break-ins at Alliance and Hemingford during the night Saturday neted burglars well over $600. Sheriff Matt Berg, who investigated the two jobs with assistance from City Police, theorized today that both break-ins were done by the same person or persons.
60 Years Ago
March 19, 1966
Box Butte County received an April induction call for two men Friday, it was announced at the Selective Service office here. The next two registrants in line for service will be instructed to report here April 18 to be transported to the Denver induction station.
55 Years Ago
March 15, 1971
Two Box Butte County men have enlisted in the Navy and two have been inducted in the Army recently, according to the Selective Service office here. The two choosing the Navy were both of Alliance: James H. DeBusk Jr. and David Lee Walker. Inducted in February and sent to Fort Lewis, Wash. For basic training were Perry A. Ramsey of Hemingford and Clifford M. Wade of Alliance.
50 Years Ago
March 16, 1976
The merger of the Alliance Livestock Auction Co. and the Sheridan Livestock Commission Co. of Rushville was announced today by the officers of both corporations with the merger effective April 1. The surprise announcement also included the addition of Bill Jaggers of Hay Springs to the officers of the Alliance Livestock Auction Co. replacing John Sibbitt of Hyannis.
45 Years Ago
March 12, 1981
Contrary to state-wide circulated news today, the City of Alliance has not imposed a hiring freeze in an effort to cut spending. However, according to a joint-statement by City Manager Box Placek and Mayor Mike Garwood, when ever there is a termination or a retirement, a careful look is being taken to see if the work involved cannot be absorbed within the department or among departments.
40 Years Ago
March 14, 1986
Alliance businessman Tom Podhaisky was sworn in as a member of the Alliance City Council Thursday night to complete a term of eight months left vacant in January by the resignation of Herbert (Fritz) Sampson. Podhaisky, 57, is a realtor and insurance agent in Alliance.
35 Years Ago
March 16, 1991
A fiber-optic telephone cable was severed early Friday morning, cutting long-distance phone service to most of western Nebraska. An unidentified contractor working for US West was removing an underground fuel tank just west of Wood River when the cable was severed at 8:42 a.m. MST. Some long-distance calls were able to get through, but the majority could not.
30 Years Ago
March 16, 1996
Lisa Renteria Gennaro graduated from Alliance High School in 1982 and is the daughter of Jesse and Shirley Renteria of Alliance. She is currently competing for the Mrs. Nebraska title as Mrs. Box Butte County.
25 Years Ago
March 15, 2001
Eugene V., R.P., of Alliance voluntarily surrendered his license to practice pharmacy recently, following an investigation by the Department of Health and Human Services Regulation and Licensure. The allegations he admitted to were: Grossly immoral or dishonorable conduct evidencing unfitness as a pharmacist, and dependency on or addiction to the use of the controlled substance morphine sulphate constitutes grounds for discipline.
20 Years Ago
March 14, 2006
At 12:25 a.m. on Saturday, Alliance Police officers Colleen Busch and Darrin Kremer, and Sergeant Joe Digmann investigated an assault complaint at the C-Row of Meadows. The officers learned that Linda Lou W., 49, Alliance had been stabbed in the upper chest with a large knife by Curtis L. D., 44, Alliance.
15 Years Ago
March 16, 2011
An Alliance suspect is scheduled to appear March 24 in Box Butte County Court on a charge of criminal mischief with damage to property over $1,500, a Class IV felony. The charge alleges that on Feb. 22, Kayla B., 24, intentionally or recklessly caused an estimated $1,900 damage to Maryann Waters’ vehicle.
10 Years Ago
March 18, 2016
Over the years, the Powerline program through Western Nebraska Community College (WNCC) has become well known in the community and the Panhandle. The program touts a high success rate for graduate employment. In coming years, Powerline will provide students with more than just knowledge of overhead line work.
5 Years Ago
March 17, 2021
A highly-anticipated winter storm dropped rain and heavy snow throughout the region over the weekend, bringing moisture to the area, as well as making travel difficult. Ayesha Wilkinson, Meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Cheyenne, said snowfall totals were not available for Alliance or Hemingford, but noted a report of nine inches of snow at Chadron State Park.
*Compiled from The Alliance Times-Herald Archives by Christine Melcher