Knight was then cashier, and has remained in the hands of the original purchasers since that time. This lot was sold for one thousand and fifty dollars.

The prices from these corners extending back were graded down where the lot upon which the present Chinese laundry is located sold for six hundred dollars. Some residence lots were sold in the vicinity of Sixth and Cheyenne Avenues at prices ranging from two hundred to three hundred dollars.

The building of a town immediately commenced, there being an abundance of lumber, nails, hardware, lime and other building materials on hand with a large supply of skilled workmen. The first eight business blocks

HISTORY OF WESTERN NEBRASKA

from the depot northward were rapidly changed from raw prairie into a bustling town. More than one hundred buildings were under construction at the same time. As soon as they were roofed over the people from Grand Lake began moving into them so that by the Fourth of July of that year Alliance probably had a population of two thousand people.

At this time Alliance had no form of civil government, but it realized that this was necessary. After a lapse of a few months a mass meeting was held and it was decided to incorporate as a village under the laws of the state. A petition was presented to the county commissioners asking that it be incorporated under the name of the village of Alliance and that five village trustees be appointed to serve until the following April when a regular election would be held and regular trustees elected thereat. The first board of trustees consisted of F. M. Sands, J. C. Weeter. C. F. Grant, W. (',. Simonson, and F. YV. Markham.