This Week in Odessa History

The wooden water mains installed in Odessa when the new town’s water system was installed in 1903 began to lead within a few years.

In its issue of February 24, 1911, The Odessa Record announced plans for improvement of the water system, which included new galvanized mains:

An aggregate of $5,000 is to be spent by the Town of Odessa this spring according to plans completed by the Town Council.

The expenditure will be used in improving the water system of the town. One mile of galvanized steel pipe is to be laid on Pleasant Hill and in the south part of town, nearly all of which will replace the wooden pipe now in use, which has been declared unserviceable because of the necessary high expense for repairs.

Contracts for the new pipe have been let, the largest order amounting to about $3,900, to which several others have been added, and with the cost of laying the pipe and other necessary extras the price for improving the water system is expected to total $5,000.

100 Years Ago

From The Odessa Record

February 7, 1913

Fire, which broke out about four o’clock last Monday morning in the rear end of the Odessa Mercantile Co.’s store, consumed two of Odessa’s finest business structures, together with two large stocks of goods, causing a property loss of something like $100,000. The origin of the fire is unknown. When first discovered, it had gained considerable headway, and the flames soon burst out of the doors and windows of the building and fanned by a strong northeast wind, were driven across the street to the Odessa Hardware & Implement Co.’s building, which was also soon a roaring mass of flames. For a time it looked as if the entire business section of the town was doomed, but just when the fire was the hottest, the wind suddenly veered around to the southwest, and soon after the buildings collapsed, precipitating what was left of the burning framework into the basements, and the fire was then easily gotten under control. In the meantime the fire had spread to the frame buildings owned by S.P. Finney, adjoining the hardware store, and was not put out until one corner of the front and the greater portion of the roof had been burned away.

The building occupied by the Odessa Mercantile Co. was a two story brick structure with a 50 ft. frontage, and one of the finest buildings in town.

The Odessa Hardware & Implement Co. building was a one-story brick structure, with a street frontage of 75 feet, and was built seven years ago at a cost of something like $21,000.

S.P. Finney’s building joining on the west is almost a complete wreck and his loss is estimated at $1,000.

75 Years Ago

From The Odessa Record

February 10,1938

Wednesday morning saw a return of wintry weather, following two cold nights. Snow started falling during the noon hour and continued for some time, leaving patches of white around the streets.

Farmers saw in the snowfall a further threat to the excellent stand of winter wheat, faring it would bring increased cold, without sufficient protection for the tender crop.

Odessa Troop No. 84, Boy Scouts of America, has been observing the national Boy Scout week this week, with a program that included group attendance at church, displays of Scout handicraft and a court of honor.

During the week the Scouts have appeared in uniform, attracting much attention for their organization by this means.

50 Years Ago

From The Odessa Record

February 7,1963

Crab creek became a river Monday night.

The only trouble is, Crab creek was not intended to be a river. It just isn’t big enough.

Every available burlap bag was used in a volunteer program of sandbagging. Hundreds of volunteers fought to keep these bags rising as fast as the water.

Crab creek had become a raging torrent. It carried huge chunks of ice. With every passing hour it was raising until the culverts of the Third street cement highway bridge were no longer visible.

As the crew worked, a huge iceberg swept along the sandbags at the Edith Homburg house by the bridge. Workmen rushed up with shovels and tried to push the ice away from their barricade, but to no avail. It swept their bags away and they were drenched as the flood poured over.

With the water hopelessly out of the banks, the volunteers moved into an operation of property protection, lining the street with sandbags to create a through channel for the flood waters. A power shovel opened drainage areas to the west.

Midnight came and the waters were still rising. The Fourth street footbridge, with water flowing over it since early evening, was being banged out of shape by power blows from floating ice, and seemed in danger of going out. Had this happened it would have come to rest against the highway bridge and blocked its water passages. Cables were rigged to hold the bridge sections if it went out, even though it was realized that any break in the bridge could spell tragedy to the entire plan.

Toward morning the army engineers arrived with 1,000 sandbags and promised to return later with 6,000 added bags.

As daylight was breaking on Tuesday, and with the barricades holding, several of the volunteers crawled into cars and pickups for a few hours sleep, to be alerted if trouble continued.

Volunteer workers appeared from all over the area, turning out in numbers from Lamona and from ranch homes. High school boys were mainstays, forming their own work groups and accomplishing big jobs.

Irby residents evacuated that town at the approach of the high water as it would have been impossible to fight it with the limited personnel available.

Bill Jessett took time out Tuesday morning to determine how many bags were used during Monday night, and came up with 15,000 sacks in addition to the 6,000 brought by the engineers.

25 Years Ago

From The Odessa Record

February 11, 1988

Odessa High School senior Julie Iksic, daughter of Lou and Lois Iksic of Irby, has been named to the All-State Mixed Choir, a 300-voice group set to perform at the Washington Music Educators Association Biennial Conference.

Odessa Memorial Hospital board chairman Margaret Iltz has announced the addition to its staff of new administrator Ron O’Halloran, a Yakima native who has served Shorewood Osteopathic Hospital in Seattle for more than five years in the capacities of assistant administrator and interim administrator.

10 Years Ago

From The Odessa Record

February 13, 2003

February 6 was a special day for the second grade class of P.C. Jantz Elementary School.

The children were honored at a pizza party at the Odessa Inn for having won first place in the National Fire Prevention Assoc. contest sponsored by the Weekly Reader, a children’s classroom newspaper.

Last October, the children participated in many fire safety classroom activities and also visited the Odessa Fire Department, where they viewed a video and tried on fire gear.

A summary of all the fire safety activities and pictures were submitted to the NFPA contest, and the winners were announced in December.

The children all agreed it was fun winning the contest, but most important of all they hoped each family in Odessa will discuss and review fire safety procedures and practice home fire drills on a regular basis.