How Alliance, Nebraska Got Its Name (Picked for the Alphabet)

Alliance, Nebraska, was named by a railroad boss who wanted a short, one-word name that no other Nebraska town had and that would sit near the top of the alphabetical list of towns. It may be the most practical town name in the state.

Where the name comes from

The town was founded in June 1887 as Grand Lake. Then the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy railroad arrived, and its station opened for business on February 3, 1888.

A 1925 study of Nebraska place names says the name Alliance was given to the town by the railroad’s superintendent, G. W. Holdrege. The study says Holdrege chose it “for the reason that it was a single word, was different from the name of any other town in the state, was short, and would be near the top of the alphabetical list of the towns of the state.” The U.S. Geological Survey’s place-name record quotes the same reasons almost word for word.

The study adds that the citizens accepted the name, a post office was set up, and the town was platted and recorded as Alliance.

Why the alphabet mattered

Neither source explains why being near the top of the list mattered to Holdrege, and we didn’t find a solid source that does. So we’ll leave it at his reasons, as the study reports them.

An extra theory, and a good fit

The 1925 study adds that the town “apparently was named after Alliance, Ohio,” and that the name fits because Alliance is the junction of two Burlington lines. You can see that junction on the 1955 map above. Holdrege’s own explanation doesn’t mention Ohio, though, so we’d treat Ohio as a guess by the study, not part of the official story.

Sources & further reading

• Lilian Linder Fitzpatrick, Nebraska Place-Names (University of Nebraska, 1925). A public-domain study of the state’s place names, county by county. The Alliance entry quotes Holdrege’s four reasons, gives June 1887 and February 3, 1888, and adds the Ohio idea.
• GNIS feature 834978 (U.S. Geological Survey). The federal record for Alliance. Repeats the Grand Lake name and the four reasons, and gives 1891 for incorporation.
• Box Butte County, “About Our County.” The county’s account of the name change and the 1888 station.