There’s a local legend that insists Elizabeth Taylor, who died Wednesday, spent one night of her first wedding’s honeymoon in Albert Lea. And proof of this being true can be confirmed with a photo on the front page of the Tribune dated Sept. 8, 1950.

She married Conrad “Nicky” Hilton Jr. on May 6, 1950, at the Church of the Good Shepherd, Beverly Hills, Calif.

This couple actually had a long honeymoon. The bride, 18, and groom, 23, left New York City on May 24, on an ocean liner for a three-month trip around Europe.

When they came back to the United States, the already famous film actress and hotel heir traveled by car from New York City to Hollywood.

Just prior to coming to Albert Lea, the couple spent a few days fishing in Wisconsin.

On Sept. 6, 1950, the couple checked into the Hotel Albert for the night. (This hotel, at the corner of South Broadway Avenue and West College street, was the region’s premier lodging place. US Bank is now at this site.) The next day their photo was taken by a Tribune reporter. Also, they were interviewed by a staff member of AM radio station KATE.

This last detail is depicted as a part of the 2010 poster created by Eloise Adams for the Eddie Cochran Weekend last June.

The caption with the Tribune photo quoted Taylor as saying. “They’ve been wonderful to us everywhere we’ve gone.”

This caption added, “She will begin a new picture, ‘Father’s Little Dividends’ — a sequel to ‘Father of the Bride’ with the same cast — at the end of this month. ‘Father of the Bride’ preceded her own wedding to Hilton.”

This honeymoon trip for Taylor and Hilton was rather long for what became a rather short marriage. Their divorce was dated Jan. 29, 1951.

As so many television and news reports have mentioned, Elizabeth Taylor was married eight times to seven men. (She and Richard Burton were married twice.)