130 Years Ago
March 17, 1893
Alliance was electrified last Saturday evening by the familiar and now thoroughly dreaded alarm of fire. People rushed in every direction looking for the source, of all the commotion. This time, however it proved to be only an incipient blaze. A bed in the house just east of the mill being enveloped in flames. It was soon carried out and allowed to burn out of doors. The only damage done was the loss of Henry Heir’s bed and now he has no downy pillow on which to rest his weary head.
125 Years Ago
March 18, 1898
Dr. H. H. Bellwood and daughter, Miss Ina, went to Hooper’s ranch yesterday to set the limb of a Mr. VanCamp, who had fallen under a horse.
120 Years Ago
March 13, 1903
There is one little matter that attention given just now may yet save some Alliance home from mourning the loss of the mischievous, but dearly prized, small boy. We refer to nothing more or less than the practice of many boys playing about the railroad switch yards, and climbing on cars when in motion.
115 Years Ago
March 13, 1908
Joe Price was arrested for drunken and disorderly conduct and placed in the city jail. He thoroughly frightened another man in another cell by taking out his pocket knife and trying to cut his own throat. Joe will be taken to the asylum again as he has only been out for the past several months.
110 Years Ago
March 18, 1913
Thieves entered the Mallery and A. D. Rodgers grocery stores, stealing about $50 at Mallery’s and several sacks of Bull Durham, and $5 from the Rodgers store’s cash register.
105 Years Ago
March 15, 1918
J. L. Howard, husband of Mrs. Edna Howard, who was arrested on an adultery charge in connection with T. S. Woolsey, arrived this week from La Crosse, Wis., to accompany her back home. Mr. Howard said that on behalf of their two small children he was willing to take his wife back home and she was evidently willing to go. Woolsey will be tried on an adultery charge before the county court and then the county attorney will file information before U. S. Commissioner L. A. Berry under the Mann act. This is in conformity with instructions from the United States Attorney at Lincoln.
100 Years Ago
March 13, 1923
“Stick-up” men are the latest addition to Box Butte county’s gang of crooks. When Cecil Beal was driving home, a mile north of Alliance, he was held up and robbed of $6, all the cash he had in his pockets. The men drew up beside him and yelled something and Mr. Beal, thinking they wanted directions, stopped his car. Two of them got out and came around behind Beal’s car. One of them remained at the rear of the car and the other stepped up to the front of the car, both men wore a mask and had a gun. “Pass over what cash you have,” exclaimed the robber. He then made Beal get out of the car and he proceeded to search his pockets. He overlooked a watch and chain which Beal had in his vest pocket underneath a heavy sweater. After the search, the men got back into their machine, turned it toward Alliance and drove away.
95 Years Ago
March 13, 1928
Math Wilkomn, Vern Perrin, John King and James Campbell were arrested and are being held on charges of drunkenness, with a possibility that other charges may be filed, when Alliance police served a search warrant and made a search of the premises of Math Wilkomn in South Alliance. Several bottles of alleged “moon” were found on the premises and are held as evidence.
90 Years Ago
March 14, 1933
Mrs. Irene Campbell, formerly a resident of Alliance, and daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Claude Brown of Hemingford, was killed among the first victims of the terrific earthquake which almost leveled
Long Beach, Calif.
85 Years Ago
March 15, 1938
One of the oldest building in Alliance was sold by W. H. Mathies to John Delis and John Karos. The frame structure, housing Steve Cannon’s barber shop, was one of two properties in the transaction. The other was Jerry’s Liquor Store. Mr. Karos, at present, operates the New Method Shoe Repair Shop on Box Butte avenue.
80 Years Ago
March 16, 1943
Mr. and Mrs. Richard H. Ross received word that their son, Richard H. jr. has received his wings and commission as a second lieutenant at Yuma, Ariz. He is now at Austin, Tex., where he will be in a twin engine school for 30 days.
75 Years Ago
March 12, 1948
Surplus buildings at the Alliance Army Air Base brought $100,435.07 to the War Assets Administration when 233 structures were sold in a competitive bidding sale. More than 500 buyers were at the auditorium to enter the bidding in a spirited sale which lasted only a little more than two hours.
70 Years Ago
March 14, 1953
Anthony Yeager, Alliance plumbing contractor, is in improved condition at St. Joseph’s Hospital recovering from “crushing chest injuries”. Yeager was installing plumbing fixtures in the new home of Edward Jelinek one mile West of Alliance on the Tenth Street Road when a ditch in which he and an employee, Joe Sherlock, were laying pipe caved in on them up to their necks. Sherlock worked himself free and then uncovered Yeager.
65 Years Ago
March 15, 1958
Alliance’s new bird house in the City Park is becoming a paradise of beauty. The house, which was started last summer, is nearing completion, according to Warren Maxwell, park superintendent. Maxwell designed the house, and park employees built it to give Alliance something both educational and beautiful to look at.
60 Years Ago
March 15, 1963
Frontier Station Manager Robert Pier boards a 12-man delegation on Frontier’s Flight 34 Thursday afternoon to the Western Nebraska United Chambers of Commerce meeting in Scottsbluff. Boarding are City Councilman L. A. Proper, Frank Tolstedt, Charles Dingman, Harry McKibbin, LeRoy Abbott, Dale Borg, Sammy J. Masid, Marvin Dietrich, Keith Kemper, Marion Kosmicki and City Manager R. W. Laing.
55 Years Ago
March 14, 1968
Construction is underway at 815 Flack Avenue in Alliance for a new office-warehouse-shop building for Alliance Trailer Sales owned and operated here by Mr. and Mrs. W. W. Culwell.
50 Years Ago
March 15, 1973
Three Alliance men have enlisted in the U. S. Army or Navy and are on active duty and two others, one from Hemingford and one from Alliance, have enlisted in a delay program. The announcement was made by Mrs. Neil Brown at the Selective Service Office. They include: Bruce C. Toline, son of Mr. and Mrs. Maurice Toline of Brewster, enlisted Navy; Stephen B. Sward, son of Mrs. Lucille Sward of Alliance, enlisted Navy; and Patrick A. McCune, son of Mr. and Mrs. Dee McCune of Alliance, enlisted Army; Roy J. Zimmerman, son of Dorothy Zimmerman of Alliance, enlisted in U. S. Army reserve delay program; and Thomas R. Stull, son of Ray Stull of Hemingford, enlisted in the USAF delay program.
45 Years Ago
March 15, 1978
Seven new citizens were sworn in Tuesday afternoon during a naturalization hearing in District Court here. Taking the citizenship oath were: Maureen M. Percival, formerly of Singapore and now an Alliance resident, Mary P. Steggs, formerly of Ireland and now an Alliance resident, Dr. Raynada S. Garcia, formerly of the Phillippines and now a Rushville resident, Lynda J. Hotz, 4, formerly of Korea and now a Rushville resident, Mrs. Lilla A. Garcia, formally of the Philippines and now living with her husband in Rushville, Sung Park Kim, R. N., formerly of Korea and now a resident of Hemingford, and Stephen S. Kim, a minister, formerly from Korea and now a resident of Hemingford.
40 Years Ago
March 15, 1983
A jury heard testimony at the Box Butte County Courthouse today in an assault on an officer and resisting arrest trial in District Court before District Judge Robert Moran of the Sixteenth Judicial District. The case, State of Nebraska vs. Christino Santiago, charges Santiago, 418 Joleska, with assault on an officer in the third degree and resisting arrest. The charges stem from a January 1 incident when Officer Dave Lehman was allegedly assaulted while trying to arrest Santiago at 418 Joleska.
35 Years Ago
March 15, 1988
Smokey the Bear, the fire-preventing bear wandered the halls of Alliance High School during the Box Butte County Health Fair last weekend. He led many folks to the Alliance Volunteer Fire Department display. Visitors also were shown first aid videos. One little visitor, Virginia Harper gives Smokey the Bear a big hug.
30 Years Ago
March 15, 1993
The Alliance High School debate teem placed first in Class A Lincoln-Douglas debate at the pre-state debate tournament held in Chadron. Individuals placed as follows: John Foy, first; Josh Adam, second; Michelle Smith, fourth; and Mike Nerland, sixth. Foy and Adam will represent Alliance at the state debate tournament in Lincoln March 26-27. Martin Norton coaches the AHS debate teem.
25 Years Ago
March 14, 1998
Walt Griffis began his career with The Guardian State Bank on March 3, 1948, when he was offered a job as a teller. Since he was not 21 at the time, the age required to be a teller, he began as a file clerk filling checks. During the course of his career he advanced from a teller to president of the bank then a member of the board of directors.
20 Years Ago
March 15, 2003
A cowboy saddling his horse, depicted in watercolor by Alliance artist Wilma Schaffert, fills the cover of Nebraska Cattleman magazine’s March issue.
15 Years Ago
March 15, 2008
Steph Mantooth, her eight-year old daughter Josie, and her sister Jorene Hinton each had ten-inch ponytails cut off. The hair will be donated to Locks of Love to make wigs for cancer patients. Mantooth said she and her sister decided to do this after they recently lost their father to cancer.
10 Years Ago
March 15, 2013
Bringing representation into Nebraska communities: John Blake, community liaison for U. S. Congressman Adrian Smith, meets with Alliance locals during a “mobile office” as they voice comments and concerns for the impacts of legislative issues including education, tax reform, government regulation and gun control. Smith’s mobile office also allows constituents the opportunity to take advantage of services through his office, such as aiding individuals in working with a federal agency or other services that Smith or his staff can provide assistance.
5 Years Ago
March 14, 2018
Powerline School to expand with new indoor training facility. The new training facility will be located on Kansas Street where the current Powerline School is located and it will be built to the east of the current school. The building will measure 47-feet tall at the edge, 50 feet tall at the ridge line. The main indoor training area will be 80 x105.