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.

Alliance continued under the village form of government until 1891 when it changed to a city of the second class with a mayor and four councilmen. It was divided into two wards. The first ward comprised the territory lying west of Box Butte Avenue, and the second all that lying east of Box Butte Avenue. Frank H. Smith was Alliance's first mayor. Mr. Smith was chief clerk to the division superintendent of the Burlington, J. R. Phelan. He was succeeded by R. M. Hampton as mayor, who filled that position during the installation of the city's svstem of waterworks in 1892.

Alliance remained a terminus of the Burlington railroad from January, 1888, until the track was laid northwestward in September, 1889. During this year and a half, being the rail head, it was a very lively place. All material for the building of Belmont tunnel, culvert pipe, machinery for the Newcastle coa mines and supplies for the grading camps from Alliance to Newcastle was freighted by team from Alliance out along the right of way. Hundreds of men were shipped out from eastern centers to work on the grade and Alliance with its six saloons did a thriving business with hoboes. However, it was fairly orderly, considering the character of its floating population, only one or two murders being committed during that time.