130 Years Ago
May 15, 1896
Until this season Box Butte people have always congratulated themselves that the nearness of the Black Hills afforded immunity from violent wind storms, but they found last Monday noon that this might not always be the case, anyhow a few small twisters are reported. A small, funnel-shaped cloud formed east of Alliance a short distance, and traveled in a southerly direction.
125 Years Ago
May 10, 1901
Mike Haggarty is developing a new industry in Alliance. After successfully making an artificial limb for himself, he has accomplished the same thing for “Billy” James and now contemplates hanging out a shingle for that line of work.
120 Years Ago
May 18, 1906
Without exception, stocks of companies representing great scientific inventions have been fortune-makers. One hundred dollars invested in bell Telephone at its incipiency has paid $201.00 in dividends. Edison Electric advanced from $100 to $4,000 per share in one year. Mergenthaler Linotype, Cable and Telegraph stocks and Eastman Kodak have made fortunes for all investors.
115 Years Ago
May 19, 1911
Excavating was commenced the first of the week and some of the new material placed on the ground as a start for the construction of the new Catholic church, the site for which is two blocks south of the academy. Fr. McNamara will be a busy man the next several months, else we are no guesser.
110 Years Ago
May 19, 1916
The First State Bank has installed a real mechanical marvel in a new bookkeeping machine of the Borroughs type. It adds, subtracts and totals and will greatly facilitate the work of keeping the bank’s books. One should see the machine to fully appreciate its accuracy and simplicity. It automatically prints dates, subtracts checks, adds deposits and computes new balances, all in one movement of the carriage across the page, and with a speed that seems incredible.
105 Years Ago
May 20, 1921
Refusing to give his name to the authorities or make any statement whatever about himself, an unidentified man, gray-haired and apparently over 50 years old, is being held at the police station pending an investigation which is expected to connect him with an attempt to rob three local stores last night and possibly also with the robbery of a Union Pacific railway mail car near Cheyenne, Wyo.
100 Years Ago
May 21, 1926
Pollock Parmalee’s Ford car was stolen from in front of his home last night and was later located in Hemingford, where it was deserted by the thieves. It developed that George Jenkin’s new Oakland sedan was taken from Hemingford, but no trace of this car has been found. Officers suspect that the local car was deserted at Hemingford for the Oakland and that the thieves made a successful escape.
95 Years Ago
May 19, 1931
Alliance people are enthusiastic over prospects of getting a swimming pool in the city, the canvass made last week by the members of the Lions club shows. The result of a house to house canvass over the city reveals that over 90 percent of the people want a municipal pool.
90 Years Ago
May 15, 1936
The Yale grain elevator was reduced to a pile of charred ruins Wednesday by a fire of unknown origin that swept up the 60-foot shaft and demolished the structure before farmers or members of the Alliance fire department could stop it.
85 Years Ago
May 16, 1941
The sudden heat wave, which gives promise of lasting for some time, has advanced the local straw hat season and because of this, Walter Jones, acting mayor, has decreed that Saturday will be official straw hat day in Alliance and from then on they may be worn with nonchalance and sang froid – whatever that is.
80 Years Ago
May 17, 1946
Possibility of a curtailment of power supply in Alliance eased this week when the 12-day truce between John L. Lewis’ union and the coal operators allowed shipment of coal. The City of Alliance immediately ordered 20 carloads of coal from Sheridan, Wyo., and they are due here this week to replenish the stock of coal which had been seriously depleted since the strike started six weeks ago.
75 Years Ago
May 19, 1951
Love That Program Dept: A local woman was out in the front lawn eradicating dandelions ad other unwanted growths from her front yard. Work was rather systematic however. She was listening to a soap opera on a portable radio by her side. She would dig furiously during the chase, then came the clinch and the dandelions had a rest.
70 Years Ago
May 19, 1956
A baby born with two teeth at St. Joseph Hospital Wednesday came home Friday utterly unconcerned about her distinction. Deborah Marie startled hospital attendants, not to mention her parents, when she arrived at 2:10 a.m. Wednesday with two lower teeth pushing up above the gum.
65 Years Ago
May 19, 1961
Another airport building will be leased to e-Mar, Inc., and part of it will house Alliance’s newest industry, a helicopter sales and service organization.
60 Years Ago
May 21, 1966
One hundred twenty-two persons enplaned here on Frontier Airlines during the first 20 days of May. This is far above the required 5-a-day by the Civil Aeronautics Board. From last Saturday through Friday night there had been 37 persons board planes here.
55 Years Ago
May 18, 1971
Three young men from Box Butte County were announced today as signed up for military service, according to a report from the Selective Service office. They are: Everette M. Jealous Of Him, enlisted Army; Michael L. Maser, enlisted Navy; Robert C. Seller, M.D., to receive a commission in the U.S. Air Force Reserve.
50 Years Ago
May 20, 1976
The Alliance Police Department is scheduled to hire a new officer next month following a Civil Service examination for the position June 4, but Police Chief John means said the city could use two new officers to alleviate what he termed a “manpower shortage” within the department at this time.
45 Years Ago
May 13, 1981
Want to try your hand at acting and add some spice to your life this summer? There’s an opportunity now in Alliance to fulfill your secret ambitions to be a star of the stage. Casting for a melodrama to be presented during Alliance Heritage Days, on the evenings of July 16 and 17, and the afternoon of July 18, will be done in June.
40 Years Ago
May 16, 1986
Postal carriers deliver the mail despite its condition. Harry Schaffert, Alliance Postmaster, said the post office has received the burned mail from the plane crash last week. He explained mail comes in two-foot tray. “We calculate that into pieces of mail,” he said. Thursday, the post office received seven trays of mail and eight trays of mail came Friday.
35 Years Ago
May 16, 1991
The Box Butte County Road Department received numerous reports Thursday morning of foot-deep water running over county roads. Water was over the road six miles south of the Lawn Church corner and many other places north and west of Berea, and was reported to be about to overflow Highway 385 13 miles north of Alliance early Thursday.
30 Years Ago
May 16, 1996
After deliberating Tuesday night and most of Wednesday, the jury agreed on a verdict in the trial against Tammy S. They found her guilty of false imprisonment, second degree assault and willful reckless driving.
25 Years Ago
May 19, 2001
Motorists rarely pause on Panhandle highways stretching seemingly forever between cows and crops. However, a stream of 80 antique automobiles will traverse these routes at a more leisurely pace as drivers complete during the Sugar Valley Rally. Keith Schumacher and Duane Enyeart, both of rural Hemingford, will be among entrants from 16 states in the Sugar Valley Rally.
20 Years Ago
May 17, 2006
Two east bound Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway trains collided four miles east of Antioch this morning. Joe Faust, spokesperson for BNSF, said that one rain was at a standstill, waiting for the signal to move. After the signal was received, the train was in the process of moving and was rear-ended by another train.
15 Years Ago
May 17, 2011
Alliance Police Chief John Kiss spoke to the County Commissioners regarding GeoComm – the mapping system used when 911 calls come into the emergency dispatch center. The system allows emergency operators to determine the origin and location of calls via cell towers. Box Butte County originally purchased GeoComm in 2004 and updated the system in 2007.
10 Years Ago
May 18, 2016
Alliance Postmaster Reed Dye is asking for the public’s support in keeping their dogs restrained year-round; for the safety of letter carriers and the community, and to help stamp out dog bites. That’s one of the key messages as the Postal Service launches National Dog Bite Prevention Week, May 15-21.
5 Years Ago
May 19, 2021
The electronics take back event, organized by Keep Alliance Beautiful and the Nebraska Recycling Council, saw a large turnout on Saturday. Kathy Worley, Executive Director of KAB, explained that the event was organized following a grant that was written by the Nebraska Recycling Council.
*Compiled from The Alliance Times-Herald Archives by Christine Melcher