This Week in Odessa History

Crab Creek floods wrought destruction on Odessa several times during the 20th Century. They usually occurred at the end of January or in February, as the creek was swollen by runoff water.

In the late 1930s, flooding was brought under control, for the most part, with dikes built through the town on both banks of the creek.

One of the first and most awesome of Odessa’s floods occurred 104 years ago. The Odessa Record reported the disaster in its issue of January 22, 1909:

The people of Odessa and the lower portion of Crab Creek Valley have been experiencing the worst flood in the area’s history...