Cutline: October 31, 1991: Judy Heck (left) portrays “Wanda the Witch” as she makes her rounds to Alliance’s elementary school to talk about Halloween safety. At Emerson Elementary, “Wanda” makes the sign for witch and Pat Hanks (right) returns the sign. Jimmy Tait is center left and Lois Robertson is center right. Photo by Belinda Amerman.
130 Years Ago
October 30, 1896
“Roary,” as he is familiarly called, but whose real name is James Baker, fell from a table in one of the saloons last Friday night while in an intoxicated condition, and the next morning it was discovered that a fracture of the femur at the hip joint had been sustained. As he is seventy-five years old and has been a drunkard for many years, it is quite probable that the result of his injury will be death.
125 Years Ago
November 1, 1901
A traveling man who came over here Tuesday from Chadron said that place had been quarantined on account of smallpox, four cases being taken to the pest house Sunday and three Monday. People told him there that Alliance had thirty-five cases. As a matter of fact there is not one here, nor any indication that there will be.
120 Years Ago
November 2, 1906
Homer J. Dougall is the fortunate owner of 40 acres of land valued at $4,000 if the homestead filing made in Lincoln Thursday is allowed.
115 Years Ago
November 3, 1911
Nothing provided.
110 Years Ago
November 3, 1916
Wm. Bonness, an aged and wrinkled man, was arrested Wednesday night because it was feared that he had lost his mind. He will appear before the sanity board and will doubtless be taken to the home of the feeble minded.
105 Years Ago
November 1, 1921
Did you miss your automobile key when you attempted to start your car last night? Maybe you will find said key at The Times office. Not that any of The Times’ staff was on a Halloween spree – far be it from such. But an envelope containing three auto keys was found under the office door this morning. It has been placed there by the village joker, evidently.
100 Years Ago
November 2, 1926
A big week of dances at the Roof Garden starts off tomorrow night with those monarchs of jazzland Adolph Simanek and his seven-piece orchestra of Omaha playing a regular dance. Thursday night an old-time masquerade dance will be staged. Masks will be given out free.
95 Years Ago
November 3, 1931
The closing of the First National Bank, the largest bank in this section, is perhaps the stiffest blow that Alliance has ever been called upon to face, but still this city is much better off than some places that haven’t a bank left out of the wreckage. The men and the women who have all their savings temporarily tied up in the bank and have no definite income to count on will find it difficult to have faith or hope in anything.
90 Years Ago
October 30, 1936
Actual work preliminary to the construction of the new West Third street underpass is now under way with a drag-line biting out big scoopfuls of earth in the excavation for the drainage ditch which will carry rain and melted snow from the subway to a point southwest of the underpass site.
85 Years Ago
October 31, 1941
The city council moved Thursday night to plug an important gap in the state’s law regarding the purchase of liquor by minors, ordering an ordinance prepared which would prohibit such purchase by older persons for transfer to minors.
80 Years Ago
November 1, 1946
Breck and Meade this week received their first shipment of the new Kaiser automobiles. These new cars are to be on display at the firm’s display rooms on West Third street. The four cars are 4-door sedans with pleasant color schemes. Powered with 105-horsepower engines and embodying several innovations in car styling, the new Kaiser cars are attracting a good deal of attention.
75 Years Ago
November 1, 1951
The Alliance high school band fund which was raised to send the musicians to the Alliance-Lincoln Central football game at Lincoln Friday was swelled by $47.94 Wednesday when Bob Nerud of Bridgeport paid that amount for a calf donated by Peterson Bros. Ranch. The band fund weent well over the $800 mark and assures the high school group the trip to Lincoln.
70 Years Ago
November 1, 1956
“One of the most pleasant duties I have been called upon to perform as mayor.” With these words Mayor J. L. Saylor snipped a ribbon formally opening the 4-lane paving on West Third Street this morning.
65 Years Ago
November 3, 1961
The Alliance City Council passed an ordinance Thursday night providing for the conveyance of the former City Airport land to W. B.. Furman and Sons on December 1. The Furman bid, $34,126, was highest at the opening held by the Council at its October 5 meeting.
60 Years Ago
November 1, 1966
Except for some scattered small fires, one fire hydrant turned on and youngsters making “tricks-or-treats” calls, Halloween 1966 was a quiet as any Monday evening of the year, according to Police Chief Verlin Hutton.
55 Years Ago
November 4, 1971
At the regular meeting of the City Council tonight the main item on the agenda will be an ordinance to eliminate the present park board and merge it with the city planning commission.
50 Years Ago
November 2, 1976
Box Butte County apparently will have to borrow close to $260,000 to balance the Box Butte General Hospital budget and provide revenue for continued operation of the new facility, according to proposed hospital budget changes present to the County Board Monday.
45 Years Ago
November 5, 1981
Evelyn Brown, field representative for the Salvation Army, is back in Alliance to conduct the annual campaign for needed funds. She will work with the Box Butte Salvation Army Service Extension Unit which is headed by the Rev. Ivyl Salisbury as chairman.
40 Years Ago
November 4, 1986
Alliance’s Woolrich will be opening a retail outlet built on to the manufacturing plant. The addition will facilitate 65 new workers.
35 Years Ago
November 2, 1991
Ten and one-half years ago Tina McMains “fell into” a job at the Good Samaritan Health Care Center. This year Mrs. McMains was honored as the Activity Director of the Year – Western District by the Nebraska Health Care Association.
30 Years Ago
November 2, 1996
The free month of electricity is finished. Residential Alliance electric utility customers received an abatement for their October billing period.
25 Years Ago
November 1, 2001
In 1909, the Alliance Women’s Club started the city’s first public library in the basement under what is now the Dollar General Store in the 300 block of Box Butte Avenue. Since that beginning almost 95 years ago, the library has moved three times.
20 Years Ago
November 3, 2006
There’s a new sheriff in town, or rather, a new chief. Box Butte County Deputy Mark Lindburg will become the new Hemingford Police Chief as of Nov. 20. The main reason for the started date, he said, “is our schedule for the Sheriff’s Office (is) made and I didn’t want to put them in a bind.”
15 Years Ago
November 2, 2011
The past weekend’s drug prescription take-back resulted in 90 lbs. From Alliance and 72 lbs. From Hemingford being returned at respective locations noted Box Butte General Hospital Clinical Pharmacist John Arglye.
10 Years Ago
November 2, 2016
The DOVES Program was founded in Scotts Bluff County in 1979 to provide support to victims of domestic violence. Since then they have grown and are now able to provide assistance to the entire Panhandle and help those dealing with domestic violence as well as assist victims of dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
5 Years Ago
November 3, 2021
Officers with the Alliance Police Department recovered a stolen vehicle on Monday and arrested a Hemingford man in connection with the theft. According to Lieutenant Cody Buskirk with the Alliance Police Department, a Ford F350 Diesel pickup was stolen from a property in the 1200 block of East Third Street between Oct. 29 and Oct 31.
*Compiled from The Alliance Times-Herald Archives by Christine Melcher