This Week in Odessa History

100 Years Ago

The Odessa Record

July 20, 1917

Odessa player win from Lind.

The Odessa racquet wielders were again victorious in the return tournament at Lind Sunday. The weather was so hot that only six of the most enthusiastic local players ventures to make the 30 mile trip across the country with the mercury ranging near the 100 mark, but those that went were royally entertained by the Lind players and they report that this tournament was one of the best in which they ever participated.

This contest was scheduled to be an elimination match but lack of time prevented the playing off of any of the finals excepting the ladies' singles which was won by Mrs. E. Phillips of Lind, who easily retrieved her defeat by Miss Orlou Ganson at Odessa three weeks ago.

Odessa was short one player to fill out three men's double teams so to make matters more interesting Hopp of Odessa and Best of Lind played as a mixed team. With the exception of Mr. Best in the mixed team, in all of the other events no Lind players reached the finals. It is only fair to state however, that Mr. Snead one of Lind's ranking players was sick and not able to take part in the tournament.

A total of twelve matches were played. Odessa won seven, Lind three and two were taken by the mixed team.

The scores were as follows:

Ladies' singles-- Miss O. Ganson, Odessa, defeated Miss Maddex, Lind, 6-3, 6-4; Mrs. Phillips, Lind, defeated Miss O. Ganson, Odessa, 6-0, 6-2.

Men's Singles--Preliminaries--Rieke, Odessa, defeated Best, Lind, 8-10, 6-2, 6-2. Weik, Odessa, defeated Maddex, Lind, 6-3, 6-3. Phillips, Lind, defeated Hopp, Odessa, 6-3.

Semi-Finals.-- Weik, Odessa, defeated Phillips Lind, 6-3.

Men's doubles--Preliminaries-- Weik and Rieke, Odessa, defeated Maddex and Knee, Lind, 6-3, 6-4. Hopp, Odessa, and Best, Lind, defeated Miller and Stout, Lind, 6-3, 9-7. Phillips and Schutz, Lind, defeated Minch and Thiel, Odessa, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2.

Semi-Finals-- Weik and Rieke, Odessa defeated Griesinger and Griesinger, Lind, 6-2, 6-4. Hopp, Odessa, and Best, Lind, defeated Phillips and Schutz, Lind, 6-4, 6-1.

Mixed Doubles--Miss O. Ganson and Hopp, Odessa, defeated Miss Maddex and Stout, Lind 6-2, 8-6.

Odessa was nearly a dessert village Sunday.

Odessa was nearly a dessert village Sunday, the heat having driven a large portion of the populace to seek cooler quarters for the day. Many small parties picnicked along Crab Creek near home while others went to lakes or Spokane river. Soap Lake the popular Grant county resort to have made the strongest appeal to Odessaites the following list of people having spent the day there: Messrs. and Mesdames D. E. Schimke, Al Wagner, G. W. Finney, W. B. Kelly, the misses Della Griffith, Ida Wagner, Alma Gililspie, Teckla Horn, Pearl Finney, Dorris Ganson, Gladys Finney, Hilda Schatz, Wilma McMenus, and Walter Deets, Gus Weber, Otto Wagner, Ed Weber, Charlie Wagner, F. King, Ralph Lowe, W. H. Luher, C. M. Smith, Arthur Liberty, "Slats" Wachter, Otto Smith, John Smith, Jake Smith, Andrew Weishaar, John Weishaar, Con Walter, Con. Schauerman, Jake Schauerman, Con. H. Eckhart and Henry Pfeiff.

75 Years Ago

The Odessa Record

July 20, 1942

25 years ago.

R. E. Beringer, local game protector, and William Underwood, superintendent of the state fish hatchery ot Ford, planted 100, 000 fingerling trout in Crab creek between Odessa and Irby.

Charles T. Hamilton, aged caretaker of the Lant resort at Pacific lake, was found dead in the yard of his home on Wednesday. He had been in poor health for several weeks.

The Odessa Meat company and the Odessa Refrigeration Service are ready now to receive the household fats and oils for the munitions program, and will pay four cents a pound, the national slandered price.

By the truck load the golden grain of one of the area's richest harvests is pouring into the overladen warehouse and grain elevators of Odessa. Harvest is general at this time and yields are far in excess of those expected.

Walter Franz lost over 100 acres of standing wheat by fire on Wednesday. This is the first wheat fire reported here.

An application for marriage license was filed last Thursday by Robert L. Schafer, and Miss Imogene Kuest, daughter of Mr. and Mrs.Herb Kuest. They will be married on Sunday.

Hot harvest weather accompanied the start of harvest last week, with the highest temperature 91 and the low 44. There was .04 inches of rainfall during the week.

Farmers wives throughout the rural section, where harvest is in full swing, are pooling cars in their daily shopping trips. Using rural telephone lines, arrangements are made and one car serves for all included. Saving in gasoline and tires result.

Augusta Rodeck has entered the trade school at Spokane, it is reported, and taking instruction in sheet metal work.

The Royal Neighbors and Woodmen lodges held a combined picnic at the Irby grove on Sunday at which 25 soliders from the Ephrata field were guests. Following the picnic most of thesoliders were brought to town to enjoy swimming at the city pool.

Harold Suchland, on duty in Australia, has been promoted from corporal to sargeant, according to word received by his wife, Mrs. Alice Suchland of the Odessa State Bank.

Up for first examinations Thursday at Davenport are Arthur Schauerman and John Carr.

Art Schaal, who has spent the past two years in California visited relatives here during the week and left on Tuesday night for Olympia, where he was to report for army induction Thursday.

Word from Glen Strate indicates that he is now a corporal, and that out of his group he was one detained for United States service.

Lawrence "Bud" Giese left on Sunday for Seattle, planning to visit his brother Danny, stationed near there before going on to his station at Arlight, Calif., with the coast guard.

50 Years Ago

The Odessa Record

July 20, 1967

Forey Walter competes in several races.

Since the closing of school, Odessa's sprinting champion. Forey Walter, has been representing this town in several meets in a big way.

During June he successfully defeated the only sprinters to beath him in the 100-yard dash in 1965, McMacklin of Spokane Community College and Denny Walter of EWSC. This race was the AAU Senior Open held in June. Forey's winning times were 9.7 seconds in the 100 and 21.8 in the 220.

Later in June Forey won the Junior Jaycee trials on Whitworth's slower track.

On Saturday, June 15, in the Spokane Track club meet at EWSC's track he met several college sprinters from Spokane Junior college, EWSC, WSU and CWSC's champion sprinter and easily defeated them with times of 9.8 and 21.8.

This comming Saturday, July 22, Forey will run in the State Junior Jaycee meet at Tacoma. First-place winners will qualify for the National Jr. Jaycee meet in Des Moines, Iowa in August.

Golf course is ready for play.

The Odessa Community Golf course is ready for action! Opening is scheduled for 1:00 p.m., Sunday, July 23rd, according to an announcement by the Club officers.

Final preparations for opening are being completed this week. All fairways, greens, tees and aprons are being groomed.

Last Sunday, through the efforts of several club members, final top-dressing and fertilization of greens was completed. The first holes have been cut and putting cups and flags have been placed in position ready for first-day play.

Sunday's opening will be considered an un-official opening, with a grand opening scheduled for next spring when a full season of golf will be available, it is stated. During the remainder of this golf season, temporary rules will be made, and available to players as greens feeds are purchased.

As an introductory for the residents of Odessa to their new golf course, the fees for the balance of this season will be held at a minimum: $1.00 Monday through Friday and $1.50 Saturday, Sundays and holidays, Merle Janke, secretary-treasurer, reports. Player willbe authorized to play as many holes as desired at these rates rather than 18 holes only, which is standered at most golf courses.

Beginning in 1908, annual family season tickets to members will be available. Any non-members will then be charged regular prices in accordance with fees of course in the surrounding area,

There is still much work to be completed, such as lowering of sprinkler heads, filling in small ditches caused from washout, and the preparing of roughs. This work, however, will be completed during the remainder of this summer, it is stated, and should not hamper play as the greens are ready.

25 Years Ago

The Odessa Record

July 16, 1992

Murals over The Record office instill town's pioneer spirit.

The face of the south side of downtown First Avenue was some what transformed this week as two murals depicting pioneer Western scenes went over the office of The Odessa Record.

They've been affixed on each side of The Record's distinctive sign with type samples which is over the front door of the office. Building owner Lloyd Hornbeck installed them as a gift to the community to bring to the people a pioneer spirit.

Each measuring about 7 1/2 by 3 1/2 feet, the murals were commissioned by Hornbeck and created by noted southern Oregon artist Emil Knutson.

The mural which has been placed over the left window of The Record office shows an Native American scout with his Appaloosa and his wild game kill viewing a passing wagon train. The scene over the right window is of slightly later vintage, showing a farmer at work on the motor of his wheel tractor in a field in the foreground as a wheat train in the background approaches a grain elevator.

Knutson, who specializes in murals and who's art decorates many notable buildings in Medford and other southern Oregon cities, worked for several months to complete the murals.

Hornbeck, who lives in Medford but spends considerable time here, brought the two mural to Odessa in his van last Thursday. It took a day to round up enough helpers to put them in place. Mayor Denny McDaniel offered his services, as Paul Hopp and Seth Smith.

Intermittent showers failed to delay their work. The murals had been measured for their slots over the windows and fit in perfectly, except for a bit of trimming here and there.

The works are done in house paint, which will be a factor in insuring their preservation. Hornbeck said. Facing north and in the shade most of the day, direct exposure to the sun will be avoided.

The immediate reaction among passerby to the new scenery on First Avenue was generally favorable and in some instances overwhelmingly enthusiastic. It has been said by some that the scenes are not representative of Odessa's heritage, that Indians were not present when Odessa's first settlers arrived and that immigrants arrived by rail road, not covered wagons.

On the other hand, Odessa's oldest residents will tell you that they recall that as children they saw Indians passing through the farm country. An Indian encampment is known to have taken place at Irby. And only last week the 110th anniversary of the arrival in the Big Bend country of a wagon train carrying German Russian immigrants was noted at the annual convention of Germans from Russia, meeting in Seattle.

"I had hoped to bring a bit of pioneer spirit to downtown Odessa." said Hornbeck, "and perhaps the murals on the front of The Record office will inspire other businesses to undertake similar projects."