This Week in Odessa History

A busy and prosperous holiday shopping season was in store for Odessa merchants 77 years ago.

The Odessa Record gave this report on the wide variety of gift merchandise available in Odessa in the issue of December 13, 1935:

Stores bustling with activity, large additions to sales force, red and green Christmas colors interspersed with gold and silver tinsel in profusion in store windows, dozens of shoppers inquiring about particular gift merchandise indicate that Christmas is less than two weeks away.

If one is to judge by the display of gift merchandise now to be seen in the Odessa stores there will be many happy Christmases in this territory. New merchandise, pretty novelties, wonderful toys, Christmas food specialties and other Christmas merchandise awaits selection in the local stores. A check-up of prices, in contrast to city prices, shows that the Odessa merchants are still the customer’s best friends.

Decoration work in the Odessa stores is now completed and they are attractive in their holiday appearances. Perhaps the nicest part of the decoration are the displays of merchandise.

100 Years Ago

From The Odessa Record

December 13, 1912

In commemoration of the first legislature of the territory of Washington and of the arrival of Isaac I. Stevens, the first governor of the territory in Olympia, which occured November 26, 1859, a bronze tablet was set in the sidewalk on Main street in Olympia. Following the dedication of the tablet a banquet was held at the old New England hotel, where Gov. Stevens upon his arrival presented himself travelworn and unshaven and asked for something to eat. He was not recognized by the hotel keeper and the delegation appointed to meet had missed him, so he was given a handout at the back door.

75 Years Ago

From The Odessa Record

December 2,1937

Nine members of the Odessa fire department attended a fireman’s convention at Ritzville on Monday night, winning a bright red toy fire truck as the team representing the greatest aggregate distance traveled to the meet. The Odessa group, with nine members represented a traveled distance of 252 miles, in contrast to 230 for Sprague and 220 for Cheney.

John Haase has found some indication of how much a duck can swallow for in cleaning a duck he killed on Sunday, he found a fish, nine inches in length, that the duck had succeeded in swallowing.

Miss Arlene Weber announces that she has opened a home beauty shop in her home west of the high school, where she will specialize in Rilling permanent waving. She has just returned from Seattle, where she took a specialized course in this machine.

25 Years Ago

From The Odessa Record

December 3, 1987

Although the cemetery chapel remains locked for security purposes, it is ready for use by funeral homes, church congregations or groups of mourners at any time.

“It’s ready to be used now, by any group who would like to have it opened for them,” said Weldon Goede. “Until the town of Odessa takes possession of the chapel, a key is available anytime from either Harold Suchland or from me.”

The chapel committee held an open house on Veterans Day, November 11, to give the public opportunity to inspect the new building at the cemetery.

10 Years Ago

From The Odessa Record

December 5, 2002

Odessa’s downtown enhancement project is nearly complete, Wyatt Engineering inspector Sam Todd said this week.

He made the rounds Monday checking flaws here and there in the pavement of the overlay project, the sidewalks and the street lights. He also queried property owners along the three-block section of First Avenue where the new sidewalks and street lights has been installed to ask if they had any complaints.

A meteor-like fireball streaked across the horizon from west to east just north of Odessa at about 6:05 a.m. last Thursday, Thanksgiving Day.

“It looked like a welder’s torch, with orange and blue colors,” said Delores Cook, who lives on Sage Drive on Odessa’s south hill overlooking the town. She said it appeared to be separating into pieces as it passed by. She was among those who didn’t sleep in that morning. She watched as it moved faster than a satellite or an airplane across the sky.

The object turned to be a Russian SL-12 rocket launched November 25 reentering the atmosphere, according to the U.S. Strategic Command.