This Week in Odessa History

100 years ago

From The Odessa Record

December 17, 1914

Following a custom which has been in vogue here for many years past, the George W. Finney and the Edwards & Bradford Lumber yards remembered their friends this week with gifts of Christmas trees.

The children of the various Odessa Sunday schools are busily making preparations for Christmas eve entertainments which are an annual feature of the local churches. Those listing proprams are: the German Lutheran , German Baptist, the German Congregational and the English Congregational.

Mr. and Mrs. L.D. Jenks and daughter, Irma, returned Thursday morning from Harrington where they visited with Mrs. Ralph Ingle, at Langley hospital.

Mr. and Mrs. Geo. Grening and their son, Jacob and his wife, who recently were married in Puyallup, arrived here on Wednesday night.

For the past week Odessa has experienced an unusual cold spell, the official thermometer here hovering around the zero mark on every morning during that time.

Local grain men were quoting $1.09 for Bluestem and $1.03 for Red wheat today, the highest prices that have prevailed this year, and the highest price which it has been in Odessa for six years.

Odessa’s victory of 13 to 12 last Friday over the strong Edwall team leaves them the only undefeated team in the south half. Following is the lineup of the Odessa team, Logsdon, G. Schlimmer, Jenks (Capt), Schorzman and Walter.

Hugo Kleeman and Geo. Dobson started cutting ice this week, the former filling his houses with about 200 tons and the latter with 250 tons of the finest ice that has ever been harvested here.

75 years ago

From The Odessa Record

December 21, 1939

Three wedding services marked the week end in the Odessa area. Herbert Sackmann wed Ruth Isaac, Ray Heimbigner wed Ruth Schauerman, and Dick Dashiell wed Helen Schell.

The city council took up the matter of curb street lights for the business section, and it was decided to request A.W. Jessett, local manager of the Washington Water Power company, to hold an early demonstration meeting, so as to be ready for action after the first of the year.

Santa Claus, spending a short time in Odessa on Saturday afternoon, found a welcome response from the children of the community, with nearly 300 youngsters gathered in a cluster, following him as he made a pilgrimage through the streets.

The G.J. Egbert orchard at Marlin, which has been operated for many years, is yielding to the saw this week and will be replaced with hay fields. Nearly 550 trees are being removed from the 26 acre orchard, leaving only a few of each variety for local use.

Pickings from the Marlin orchard had been handled through Wenatchee sources for many years.

50 years ago

From The Odessa Record

December 17, 1964

Temperatures took a nosedive in Odessa and much of the Pacific Northwest with the bottom dropping out of the thermometer. Official low in Odessa Tuesday night was 13 below zero.

Farmers both north and south report readings down to 20 below.

Abner Haugen, retiring manager Odessa Grange Supply was guest of honor at a special luncheon given by the Grange Cooperative Wholesale in Seattle at the Edgewater Inn. He was presented with an inscribed gold self-winding Elgin wrist watch.

25 years ago

From The Odessa Record

December 21,1989

The Odessa High School varsity basketball Tiger boys continued their winning ways after a season-opening loss, as they hosted Lind, Davenport and Sprague-Harrington and, behind the leadership of tourney MVP Jesse Hardt, won the Odessa Classic for the second consecutive year.

The Tiger girls, who tasted victory in their season opener and lost by a fluke in their second game, proved at the Odessa Classic their earlier play is real.

For the first time ever, the Tiger girls won the Classic title behind the lead of freshman pointmaker Juli Carlson and junior standout Jody Kolterman.

10 years ago

From The Odessa Record

December 16, 2004

The Odessa Chamber of Commerce Tuesday voted to establish a Deutschesfest Committee, which is intended to remove the burden of Chamber officers from organizing the community’s annual heritage celebration sponsored by the Chamber.

The Town of Odessa has come to an agreement with CDSI, an Ephrata-based refuse disposal firm, to contract for garbage collection, Mayor Sam Braun announced at the meeting of the Odessa Town Council.

The goals of the Columbia Basin Development League (CBDL) in finding a responsible solution to the depletion of the Odessa Sub Area aquifer were outlined last Thursday night at the combined Christmas meeting and dinner of the Odessa Grange and the Cannaiwai Grange at the Odessa VFW Hall.

Guest speaker at the event was Alice Parker, the League’s executive secretary. Parker said a viable solution to address irrigation needs in the Odessa Sub Area must be found as soon as possible, as the aquifer is being depleted by pumping from irrigation wells. Completion of the East High Canal, she said, is a long-term solution to the problem.

The East High project would substitute the use of surface water from the Columbia River rather than ground water from the aquifer. CBDL is now seeking federal funding to complete the East High Canal.