130 Years Ago
May 5, 1893
Louie Wagener, who was an apprentice in Louis Buechsenstein’s cigar factory, returned the first of the week to spend a short visit with his mother. He was sitting in the house trying to force a cartridge into a Winchester rifle when it exploded and an ugly wound through his left wrist was the result. He came to town and Dr. Miller dressed the wound. It was a narrow escape for other members of the family as well as him and will prove a very painful wound for a few days.
125 Years Ago
May 6, 1898
Mention was made in last week’s paper of the return of Mr. T. S. Fielding and family to our city. He has rented rooms upstairs in the First National bank and again opened a tailor shop here.
120 Years Ago
May 1, 1903
A party of Russians who occupied a compartment in one of the overland cars bound for Seattle excited considerable curiosity and amusement at the depot yesterday morning. There were four or five families – in all ages and conditions of squalor. They were extremely dark in complexion, wore massive silver ornaments, and a couple of the women were fortune-tellers of the palmistry brand.
115 Years Ago
May 1, 1908
Wednesday evening a very successful party was enjoyed by a goodly number of the members of the F.O.E. who gathered at their club rooms and spent the evening in dancing. The music was furnished by Mrs. John Wiker, Mr. Poole and Charles Chandler.
110 Years Ago
May 2, 1913
Henry Marcos and John Laskos were arrested this week, charged by Jno Fondas with having assaulted him. They struck Fondas, so he alleges, over the head with a skillet. The two were fined $10 and costs each.
105 Years Ago
May 3, 1918
An all night “stew” resulted in the arrest at an early hour this morning of six men charged with being drunk and disorderly. Complaints were filed against Sidney R. Williams, James Keeley, George Hough, Pat Smith, Ed. Cramer and Vern Musser. The party was staged in the rear of the Musser plumbing shop and it was there the arrests were made by Night Marshal Oscar Reed and Marshal Stafford.
100 Years Ago
May 1, 1923
Bruce McDowell, proprietor of a local barber shop, is in critical condition at St. Joseph’s hospital from burns received in a fire at his barber shop. A passerby noticed the flames in the shop and turned in the alarm. After extinguishing the fire, the firemen started to look for Mr. McDowell to inform him of the fire. As they drove out East Third street towards his home they met him coming to town. He said he was badly burned and was looking for a doctor. Mr. McDowell said he was taking a bath at the shop when the fire started from escaping gasoline. The back was burned out of his coat, his trousers were burned to shreds and his shoes were badly burned.
95 Years Ago
May 1, 1928
Fire broke out in a large poultry house on the R. C. Hackett place at 904 Platte avenue. The structure and more than 500 chickens perished in the blaze. The fire was discovered by workmen in the Davidson lumber yard. The fire fighters gave much attention to saving nearby buildings from the flames which were being fanned by a brisk wind. A line of hose was quickly connected and the fire was soon quelled.
90 Years Ago
May 2, 1933
H. E. Reddish narrowly escaped suffocation in his apartment in the Reddish block on Box Butte avenue when officers broke into his room and carried him to safety. A smoldering fire was caused when Mr. Reddish fell asleep while smoking a cigarette. The cigarette ignited his coat and the upholstering on the davenport on which he reclined. Tenants of the building noticed smoke in the hall and police were called. No fire alarm was turned in as the officers were able to extinguish the fire.
85 Years Ago
May 3, 1938
Mrs. E. L. Meyer of Alliance, state president of the American Legion auxiliary, is scheduled to speak on the Legion auxiliary’s poppy program over KFAB in Lincoln tomorrow forenoon. Mrs. Meyer went to Lincoln Sunday night and planned to visit Fremont to assist with arrangements for the auxiliary’s annual state convention there late in the summer before returning to Lincoln for the radio broadcast.
80 Years Ago
May 4, 1943
The public is again warned by officers at the air base that range practice is being conducted on the 15 square mile area recently acquired by the government. Throughout the day, firing is continuous in various parts of the area rifle, machine gun and artillery. This creates a hazard and every precaution is being taken to keep people away from the area. Signs have been posted and guards are maintained but the cooperation of the public will help eliminate any possibility of accident.
75 Years Ago
May 4, 1948
At noon today three cars were involved in an accident at Eighth and Cheyenne with the result that two of the automobiles were considerably damaged and a man was cut and bruised. He was not hospitalized. The man is J. A. McKinney, 64, of 1003 Toluca avenue. McKinney was a passenger with George Hansen of the same address. Hansen was driving north on Cheyenne avenue and police said he ran into the side of a car driven by Charles Conklin, 720 Missouri avenue. Another car approaching the scene driven by Louis Bakogianis of Alliance, saw the crash in time and stopped. The Conklin car came to rest against the Bakogianis vehicle but caused no damage to it.
70 Years Ago
May 4, 1953
The man who has been identified by police as the one who held the gun in a Grand Island liquor store robbery Friday night was arrested in Alliance Saturday and returned to Hall County to face charges. Authorities at Grand Island and here identified the man as Glenn Phipps, 30, who has resided in Alliance since January. He was arrested at 5 p.m. Saturday by Mahlon Cass and Leonard Perkins of the city police department and, after an investigation, a warrant was issued in Hall County.
65 Years Ago
May 5, 1958
A 6-year-old girl riding a bicycle suffered a broken right wrist Saturday afternoon when she collided with a car driven by D. M. Elliott. The accident happened as Jean Risse rode out of Circle C West. She was taken to the hospital for treatment. Besides the fracture, she had several cuts and abrasions. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Matt Risse, 416 Lane 1. Jean went home from the hospital Sunday.
60 Years Ago
May 2, 1963
A Burlington steam choo choo, with a diesel locomotive behind it pulled out of Alliance at 12:45 this afternoon with 1,260 students and adults aboard for a round trip to Crawford with a scheduled stop in Hemingford to pick up 150 more passengers. The trip is under the sponsorship of the Diamond Jubilee Committee.
55 Years Ago
May 3, 1968
Tenant farmer Elmer Eskam on the Amos Koester place east of Alliance, suffered a virus liver infection which hospitalized him for a time. Farm work delayed by the illness had been caught up with the help of neighbors and friends. Equipment for the work were furnished by Koester, Leonard Vogel; Dave, Larry, Harvey and Conrad E. Schnell and Wilbert Schledewitz. Two of the machine drivers during the day were Mrs. Eskam and Mrs. Schledewitz, both daughters of Mrs. Jake Vogel of Bayard. Mrs. Vogel was also present to help in preparing meals and with the house chores. Others helping included John Maser Jr., Robert and Vern Vogel, Wesley Munger and Herb Tice. Robert Vogel did some necessary replanting of some of the beets on the place, which Eskam had planted in March.
50 Years Ago
May 3, 1973
New Sheriff Deputy Richard Lloyd, 36, joined Sheriff Don Underwood Wednesday, coming directly from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department, where he was a jailer, as well as a police science student at North Platte Junior College.
45 Years Ago
May 3, 1978
An open house and dedicatory ceremony for the St. Joseph Gerontology Center is scheduled Sunday in Alliance in conjunction with the opening of National Health Week, May 7-14. “St. Joseph Gerontology Center is licensed and equipped to provide the full spectrum of post-hospital care as well as all levels of care for the senior citizens of our community,” said Dr. John J. Ruffing, Jr., medical director of the Center.
40 Years Ago
May 3, 1983
Baptismal garments form the 1870-80s contributed by the Knight family, the Tillet family and other local people are presently on display at the Knight Museum. The baptismal dresses are all about two feet longer than the child and were worn by babies of both sexes. Some are extremely fancy tatted dresses hand-made with intricate detail. The museum opened for the season Saturday.
35 Years Ago
May 3, 1988
Anna Summer, industrial technology teacher at Alliance Middle School, was recently selected as a Teacher of the Year candidate to represent the Panhandle District of the Nebraska Industrial Technology Education Association. Mrs. Summer will compete at the state level on October 27 and 28 in Kearney at the N. I. T. E. A. fall conference.
30 Years Ago
May 3, 1993
Jammin’ – Piano player Ruth Johnson, saxophonist Dick Bowman, accordionist Joe Fairfield and guitar player Larry Holub jam to “You Made Me Love You” at the Panhandle Country Music Association Jamboree Sunday at the American Legion. On Sunday the association awarded $250 music camp scholarships to John Breen and Todd Almond.
25 Years Ago
May 4, 1998
Three Box Butte County positions will be decided in the primary election May 12. County Treasurer, County Attorney and County Sheriff. Gwen Heitz-Taylor and Kim Burke are campaigning for Box Butte County Treasurer.
20 Years Ago
May 1, 2003
Anthony Walters receives the Star Chapter Degree Award during the Alliance Chapter Annual FFA banquet Tuesday. Walters also earned the Dekalb Agricultural Achievement Award and was the top senior and overall fruit salesman.
15 Years Ago
May 3, 2008
Six teachers will be retiring form Grandview Elementary at the end of the 2007-08 school year. They are Melba Dickenson, Deanna Darveau, Barbara Kendle, Linda Graybill, Sharon Griffith, and Vera Johnson.
10 Years Ago
May 3, 2013
The American Legion Auxiliary Unit 7 has selected Krista Carter, daughter of Katie and Keith Carter, and Brianna Ridenour, daughter of Audrey and Rick Ridenour to attend the 2013 Cornhusker Girls State Program at Lincoln. Girls State alternatives are Rachel Schoenerman, daughter of Teresa and Keith Schoenerman, and Jessica Kaye Littlehoop, daughter of Lonnie and Jennifer Littlehoop. Johanna Hall is the 2013 Unit chairman for the program, with Ellen Feldges and Barb Cornette of Unit 7 also interviewing. Soroptimist of International of Alliance also helps fund the program. The girls are chosen based on personal interviews that include a government/current events quiz.
5 Years Ago
May 2, 2018
Peering back in time through 95 years, Dorothy Sherbon recalls decisions that impacted her life: enlisting in the Navy, teaching country school and raising a family in the Black Hills. Sherbon moved to Alliance in May 2009 to be closer to her daughter, who lives here. Sherbon relocated to her present home at Sandhills Samaritan. She is Alliance’s Senior Care Resident of the Month.