This Week in Odessa History

Democrats swept to victory in usually heavily Republican Odessa in 1932, with Franklin D. Roosevelt running for his first term, being the overwhelming choice in the residential race and the governorship going to Clarence D. Martin, a Cheney flour mill operator.

The Great Depression was at its peak, and Odessa voters had sought a change in leadership as a means of getting the economy back in order. Roosevelt had promised this with his New Deal.

Here is the report of the 1932 election in Odessa from the November 11 issue of The Odessa Record.

The general election in Odessa went heavily Democratic on Tuesday, when voters thronged the two Odessa balloting places to case the heaviest vote record in a presidential election in the town.

Franklin D. Roosevelt won with 292 votes over Republic incumbent Herbert Hoover, who received 148 votes.

Sweeping along with the presidential ticket came a victory for Clarence D. Martin. Democratic candidate for governor. He received 184 votes to win over John A. Gellately, the Republic candidate, who received 129 votes.

Wesley L. Jones, for 30 years a U.S. Senator from Washington State, was rejected on the same ballot in favor of Homer T. Bone, whose rising career was climaxed in the campaign. The vote in Odessa was 262 to 170.

Lincoln County will be operated by a Democratic group of commissioners, according to the vote case here, when J.K. Alderson and Henry R. Schirr took a definite lead over the Republic candidates. Carl E. Devenish, who remains in office, is also a Democrat.

Through the state offices the Odessa vote also demanded a change, where with the single exception of Clark V. Savidge, commissioner of public lands, who led his opponent by a few votes, every office was given to the Democrats where a contest permitted.

Weary election officials dragged themselves away to bed on Wednesday morning after 24 hours spent in the election rooms, the count on the huge ballots requiring 12 hours spent in the elections rooms.

When the polls closed at 8 o’clock Tuesday night the officials commenced counting the ballots. Time was taken out at long intervals to drink coffee and eat sandwiches.

Each ballot cast had 222 squares to be checked. Voting was irregular, some voting for half the presidential electors, others bounding around the paper seeking unusual voting opportunities. Every departure from party votes meant additional hard work for the counters.

The west precinct was in charge of G.K. Birge, F.B. Totusek, E.J. Wachter, Fred Lenz and William Swarts. The east precinct was handled by J.C. Michaelsen, John Jantz. J.P. Keller, the Rev. H.P. Christensen and L.C. Weik.

100 Years Ago

From The Odessa Record

November 22, 1912

On November 11, 1912, the state of Washington was just 23 years old, as it was on November 11, 1889, that it was admitted into the union as a state. It was President Harrison who signed the necessary documents and issued the proclamation changing Washington territory into the State of Washington. It is claimed that during the 23 years Washington has been a state that it has advanced further and more rapidly than any other state in the union.

There were 1241 deaths from tuberculosis in Washington in 1911; there were 1048 deaths from accidents; more than 90 percent of each could have been avoided.

A powerful commission has been appointed to reduce to a minimum fatalities of the one, but almost the only barrier to the progress of the other is the Red Cross Christmas Seal. Though the sale of these little stickers funds are raised not only to relieve those suffering from the disease but to carry on the campaign of education and prevention.

75 Years Ago

From The Odessa Record

November 4,1937

Bids for completion of the Grand Coulee high dam will be opened at the Civic building Spokane on December 10. If favorable bids are received it will be possible to award the new contract before the finishing work is done on the foundation, in which case construction will not stop.

Approximately $60,000,000 will be required to finance this work and the bulk of the cost is yet to be appropriated by congress.

The government will furnish all steel, cement and machinery to go into the permanent structure, the contractor to furnish all labor and engineering skill and do all construction work.

The completed dam will be 4140 feet long at the crest. It will have an overflow spillway section in its central 1650 feet long. The spillway will be controlled by 11 flowing drum type gates each 135 feet long and 28 feet high.

An 11 span concrete arch bridge will cross the spillway. Thirty pairs of outlet conduits, each controlled by high pressure gates 8 feet 6 inches in diameter, will provide in the dam to regulate the outflow from the reservoir.

25 Years Ago

From The Odessa Record

November 5, 1987

Odessa town councilman Harold Kern pulled 355 mayoral votes here Tuesday, easily defeating political newcomer Harvey Delzer’s 81 ballots and sweeping into office with him the two council candidates whose names were linked with his in advertising.

Linda Burghard gained 335 votes, to beat Jim Tanferani, who had 80; Carol Ryan polled 314 to take the measure of Mel Quincy, who had 96. Current councilman Ed Deife, running unopposed for re-election polled 309 votes.

An open house to display the new chapel at Odessa Cemetery has been scheduled for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Veterans Day, November 11.

10 Years Ago

From The Odessa Record

November 7, 2002

A fierce wind which began on Sunday afternoon a week ago and didn’t blow itself out until Tuesday afternoon left autumn leaves plastered against chain link fences and caused damage to the roof at the Odessa High School.

Gale-force frigid blasts out of the northeast were reported to have reached a force of 40 mph in some parts of the region.

The subsiding wind was followed by a light rain in some areas on Tuesday night. On Thursday and Friday early morning temperatures of 3 degrees above zero were reported.

A “late winter” date has been projected for the opening of Lyons Tile, one of two new businesses which partnered with the Odessa Public Development Authority to apply for a state grant of $705,747, which OPDA earlier this year received for expansion of the Odessa Industrial Park.

The Boy Scouts of America, Inland Northwest in cooperation with the Odessa Food Bank, the vo-ag classes at the Odessa schools and FBLA students at Odessa High School, are conducting the annual Community Food Bank drive.

“It’s the time of year when the heating bills increase to the point where they exceed some families’ limited income,” Laura Estes said. An added burden for many needy families for the first time this year is the cost of sewer service, she noted.

This year the Food Bank is compiling a cookbook to include in the baskets as a guide to young families in preparing a holiday meal, Estes said. It is intended as a resource book for those who are inexperienced in the kitchen to use in basic food preparation.