This Week in Odessa History

100 years ago

July 9, 1920

Rainmaker Hatfield is reported to have packed up his equipment and left Moses Lake last week. Although many gave him credit for bringing when he first set up at the lake, very few had any faith in him as a rainmaker when he left. It is said, however, that he was paid $3,000 for his efforts, as a two-inch rainfall fell in some parts of Grant County in early June.

Mill to start soon. The big chain ordered from the factory, for which the mill force has been waiting for about six weeks, finally arrived this week and Manager Schimke says he expects to soon begin grinding up the remainder of his supply of old wheat he has on hand, so he will be ready to handle the new when it is ready.

75 years ago

July 8, 1945

Odessa’s Fourth of July celebration set new standards for success. Swimming contests, street sports, horse racing, baseball, horseshoes and a public dance made up the bulk of the program. Odessa won the baseball game against Cannewai 5-0. Myron Walter won the little pony race, with Albert King a close second. Walter also won the Shetland pony race, with King second and J.P. Luiten third. King won the pony race, with Robert Dugger second and Bob Walter third. In the saddle horse race, King was again first, with Ed Borgens second and Dugger third..

The petition for a local hospital district embodying the eight precincts adjacent to Odessa and including signatures of 138 people was laid aside again by the county commissioners when a group of Davenport residents met with the body and suggested that commissioners build a $100,000 hospital from present county funds and operate it under their own management.

50 years ago

July 9, 1970.

The National Farmer Organization began shipping 20 railway carloads of farm-stored wheat from Odessa to Portland for export to Japan as part of a negotiated sale completed the previous week. Jim Richardson, Harrington area farmer and president of the Lincoln County unit of the organization, said a Japanese firm has contracted for the purchase of about 600,000 bushels of Pacific Northwest white wheat. A loading auger was set up at the playfield area of the city park and 18 to 20 trucks from all directions in the surrounding area unloaded their wheat in Odessa at the farmer-constructed temporary dump. A tractor powers the auger, which then lifts the grain into the 60,000-bushel Burlington-Northern grain tank cars. County NFO members donated all loading equipment and labor.

Jodee Hardung and Mary Beth Fink wrote home from their European trip with the People to People organization to tell their families and the community of their experiences. Both were very excited about almost every aspect of their travels. Their only complaint was that too many of their meals featured chicken, and they had eaten it 10 times in their first week of traveling.

25 years ago

July 13, 1995

For the second consecutive year, Odessa will play host to the U.S. Slow-pitch Softball Association tournament at Finney Field. Between 200 and 250 players and family members are expected. Eight men’s teams are scheduled to participate, including for the first time one from Odessa. Alan Dart is get the four playing fields ready. Winners of the tournament will earn a berth in the state championship games. An awards ceremony will be held Sunday after the final game.