130 Years Ago
March 23, 1894
An orchestra was organized in Alliance about two weeks ago which will be ready to fill all engagements soon, and the debut was made at Rumer’s opening Monday night. It consists of five pieces with the following instrumentation: Ellis Barker, first violin; Albert Renswold, second violin; H. J. Ellis, clarionet; R. S. Palmer, cornet; Geo. Hale, bass.
125 Years Ago
March 24, 1899
The first term of district court held in Alliance was brought to an end Tuesday noon by adjournment, and as a matter of fact only a few of the cases that occupied the docket and time of the court this and preceding sessions will again claim attention, the Judge having disposed of a number of the important ones summarily by forcing trial or causing them to be stricken from the docket.
120 Years Ago
March 22, 1904
The Sheriff of Sioux county will arrive in Alliance this evening on the Guernsey train, having in charge James Connolly, who confesses to the murder of Henry H. Miller on the 15th inst, pleading self defense. The prisoner has engaged R. C. Noleman, of this city, and Fred Wright, of Gering, as legal council in his behalf. William Mitchell and B. F. Gillman, both of Alliance, will assist the county attorney of Sioux county with the prosecution.
115 Years Ago
March 19, 1909
Some seventy odd of the railroad employees having been garnished by a Kansas City concern this week. An indignation meeting was held in the city hall Tuesday night to see what recourse could be had. It seems there are accounts sold by various people here, and in some instances at least the action taken is most unjust, since no notice was given, and some of these garnished do not owe the debts claimed. People should pay bills, but should at least have the chance before law costs are added thereto.
110 Years Ago
March 20, 1914
The Alliance Creamery & Produce Co. have just received and are now installing the new machinery for their ice cream factory. This will be ready for operation about the first of April and will be one of the most complete and up-to-date ice cream plants in this part of the country. The freezer is of the continuous type with a capacity of sixty gallons an hour.
105 Years Ago
March 21, 1919
Any woman who is a citizen of the United States and who has lived in Nebraska the last six months; in Box Butte county for the last forty days; and in the ward for the last ten days previous to April 1st can vote at the coming city election in conformity with the ruling made by the attorney general under the Partial Woman’s Suffrage Act of 1917. They can vote for all county officers, except justice of the peace and police judges. The law provides that special ballots shall be provided for women, having only the names and questions printed thereon for which women may vote.
100 Years Ago
March 21, 1924
The success which attended Box Butte county’s first venture into the ranks of state aid road contractors has induced the commissioners to prepare and file bids on the gravel surface for the Potash highway and surfacing the Alliance-Chadron road, two new projects which will total about $12,000 or $15,000.
95 Years Ago
March 19, 1929
E. Moyer, 35, a prohibition agent, was beaten into insensibility and his star and .45 calibre revolver taken away from him on the street at Hemingford at about 4 o’clock yesterday afternoon by four young men, who escaped and were later caught at Crawford. The alleged assailants are Faye Clark, amateur pugilist, William Irwin and Melville and Lyle Burkett.
90 Years Ago
March 20, 1934
Alliance voters will go to the polls Friday to ballot their expressions on two proposals for the issue of municipal bonds. The two proposals are for probably one of the smallest amounts of money for which a special election has been called in the city since its “cradle days.” The combined issues would represent an outlay of $22,000 worth of bonds, $2,000 of which would be for the purchase of the land on which the airport is now located and $20,000 would be authorized as the maximum amount which might be spent by the city in the purchase of materials for the construction of a municipal swimming pool and also to acquire almost two blocks of property on which the pool would be located, immediately north of the present city park.
85 Years Ago
March 21, 1939
Salary increases for next year ranging from $25 to $150 for practically all of the administrative and teaching personnel of the Alliance public schools were voted by the board of education Monday night. The increases total $2,100, but when the instructional service payroll is revised for the 1939-1940 fiscal year it is probable that most, if not all, of this gain will be absorbed. Even with the increases, Alliance high school teachers’ salaries will still be considerably below those of high school faculty members in other Nebraska cities of comparable size.
80 Years Ago
March 21, 1944
Delays in the installation of utilities, lack of furniture for completed apartments and scores of other tantalizing incongruities have delayed occupancy of many of the new houses under construction in Alliance while hundreds of families, both military and civilian, are running themselves ragged looking for placed to live. Appeals to Omaha, Kansas City, and “High Heaven” have brought little relief as there seems to be nothing definite on which to fix the responsibility.
75 Years Ago
March 22, 1949
Strange, unprecedented happenings took place in county court this morning. County Attorney Wade H. Ellis prosecuted his own secretary, Madyline I. Hughes. Then he turned and entered a complaint against County Treasurer William J. Moller. The topsy-turvy upheaval of courthouse employees came when both were picked up by city police for operating vehicles without 1949 license plates. Faces were red, embarrassment bloomed all over, and the county employees said they’d never let it happen again. County Judge P. E. Romig, after hearing pleas of guilty from both defendants, assessed fines of $1 and costs of $5.05 to the offenders. It was a red letter day on the court calendar. And employees were remembering that the long arm of the law reaches out in an all-inclusive sweep.
70 Years Ago
March 20, 1954
Quarterly payments on the loans of the Panhandle Rural Electric Membership Association today were stepped up to $20,252.65, Paul Phaneuf, association manager, said.
65 Years Ago
March 20, 1959
Plans jelled for the Air Fair Day here next Thursday as Andy Stephenson, district sales representative for Frontier Airlines, today ironed out last minute details with the Chamber of Commerce. On tap, in addition to the crowning of the queen, will be excursion jaunts over the city, the arrival of Pepe the Clown loaded down with Easter Eggs, a luncheon, coffee hour, social hour, and banquet.
60 Years Ago
March 20, 1964
Alliance’s much talked-about Museum was the subject of a letter and more talk at Thursday evening’s City Council meeting. It was decided to arrange a meeting of the Council and City Park and Museum Boards “toward culminating plans for the construction of a museum building for this year if this is going to be done.”
55 Years Ago
March 20, 1969
The Alliance Area Chamber of Commerce is the sponsor of a Youth Employment Service project, which will be headquartered in the Alliance office of the Nebraska State Employment Service. According to an announcement made today, Alliance is one of 15 sites selected over the entire United States for the “research and experimental” project aimed at increasing youth employment.
50 Years Ago
March 20, 1974
Alliance City Manager Robert Placek will ask the City Council Thursday night for authority to call for bids to resurface roads in the cemetery.
45 Years Ago
March 21, 1979
State Fire Marshall Wally Barnett, Jr. has given the Box Butte County commissioners 120 days to begin remodeling efforts that would bring the courthouse into line with current fireproofing standards. At their regular meeting Tuesday afternoon, the commissioners reviewed a set of guidelines contained in a recent letter from the fire marshall’s office. Several inadequacies noted during an earlier tour of the courthouse were cited in that letter, and the board will have 90 to effect changes once construction has begun.
40 Years Ago
March 20, 1984
The six members of Educational Service Unit 12 were present for a regular meeting in Alliance Monday evening. In addition to items on the agenda, they heard from Box Butte District 44 located west of Alliance, concerning its rise in special education costs. As reported by District 44 board president Harold Nelson, charges for special education services from ESU 12 were $3,700 two years ago. Last year the costs were up to $12,800.
35 Years Ago
March 21, 1989
As of May 26, the Alliance City Schools need new office and warehouse space. Gene Neuswanger has sold the building the schools lease and officials have a little more than two months to move. The school board discussed options Monday at its regular meeting at 217, W. 3rd Street.
30 Years Ago
March 22, 1994
American Legion Post #7 has chosen John McClaren and Brian Mischnick as its 1994 Boys State delegates. Parents of the boys are Mr. and Mrs. Lance McClaren and Mr. and Mrs. Ron Mischnisk. Alternates are Mark Kamerzell, son of Mr. and Mrs. Norm Nuss and Mr. and Mrs. Jim Kamerzell, and Todd Almond, son of Mr. and Mrs. Norm Almond. All are juniors at Alliance High School.
25 Years Ago
March 20, 1999
Driving through the Sandhills south of Alliance on Thuresday, Rev. Darry Crossley almost felt as if he were still in Argentina where he has been a missionary since 1974. Rev. Crossley and his wife Kathy’s involvement in Argentina began under the United Pentecostal Church International’s Overseas Ministry program in July 1974.
20 Years Ago
March 20, 2004
PREMA On-Line’s General Manager Ryan Reiber announced recently that the PREMA Board of Directors during their February 2004 meeting, voted unanimously to sell all Internet assets of PREMA On-Line to Action Communications, Inc.
15 Years Ago
March 20, 2009
The Alliance City Council approved Resolution No. 09-03, the conceptual approval of the establishment of a dog park, at their regular meeting last night.
10 Years Ago
March 20, 2014
Tim Baxter of NIRMA, Nebraska Intergovernmental Risk Management Association, came to the Box Butte County Road Department this morning to give a presentation on certified flagger training. The Box Butte County department of roads received grants through NIRMA and Award Scholarship Safety Incentive Safety Training for help with the purchasing of traffic control devices.
5 Years Ago
March 20, 2019
With three board members failing to appear at the Alliance School Board meeting on Monday evening, the board was unable to convene, causing a special meeting to be set for March 25.