This Week in Odessa History

10 Years Ago

From The Odessa Record

June 12, 2003

Leigh Murchie, Odessa High School science teacher was honored by Eastern Washington University and KHQ 6 TV as June’s Teacher of the Month in a ceremony in the high school Friday, June 6.

Saturday, June 7, saw the crowd of friends and families of the 25 graduating senors cheer and applaud for the students who accumulated $249,335 in scholarships to further their education.

A cast-in-place concrete tank located on a one-third acre site on a slope south of town will replace the town’s 80-year-old north hill reservoir.

25 Years Ago

From The Odessa Record

June 23, 1988

Washington State Grange Master Ray Hill told Grange members of the importance of telecommunications for rural development and continuing production of ethanol fuels.

“A reasonable goal is for every home in our county to have the availability of a private telephone,” noting that computer access, 9-1-1 emergency calling and telephone-based home security systems all require individual telephone lines.

Report on the continuing construction of the new high school building, along with detailed examination of seating to be place in the new multi-purpose room, drew most of the focus of the Monday evening Odessa School board meeting.

50 Years Ago

From The Odessa Record

June 27, 1963

Zip code, the post office department’s revolutionary new system of improved mail dispatch and delivery goes into effect nationally on July 1, 1963.

Temperatures started to climb back up on Tuesday as the cloud layers thinned out. With the heat came a rash of grass fires, west and east of town in the vicinity of the tracks. James E. Scrupps, rural fire chief, stated that the department had not checked the extent of the flames, but that acreage involved was estimated between 5,000 and 10,000. The loss on the Kagele place had been estimated at 2400 acres, 800 on the Napier place.

75 Years Ago

From The Odessa Record

June 23, 1938

C.C. Dobson, pioneer meat market operator and hay raiser, will get his Stetson hat, according to the decision of the commercial club. The hat is reward for Mr. Dobson’s faithful work in producing the annual million dollar rain.

Mr. Dobson has built a reputation as a rain bringer through his activities on his hay ranch. For years he had hoped to harvest a hay crop without rain damage, as when the hay is down, the rain comes. This year he started cautiously. A small cutting was made and safely harvested, so he continued to cut the entire acreage. With the cutting came the rain and the club became his debtor to the extent of a hat.

100 Years Ago

From The Odessa Record

June 20, 2013

An abundance of cool weather, in addition to plentiful showers and soaking rains, have continued to gladden the hearts of Odessa farmers and business men, who are now almost assured of one of the largest yields of grain ever harvested in this section of the Big Bend country. The arrangements for Odessa’s big celebration on July 4-5 are progressing satisfactorily. The Rockford band of 15 pieces has been secured to furnish music for the two days and will also furnish an orchestra for the dance both evenings. Partial arrangements for the ball games have been made. The race track has been put in excellent shape and three races will be pulled off each afternoon, consisting of a free-for-all running race, a pony race and farmers’ trotting race.

The program on the Fourth will begin with a grand automobile parade, followed by patriotic exercises at the opera house. A dance will be given each evening at the opera house.

The law providing for the setting to work by the county, of men who refuse to support their families, known as the “crazy husband” law became effective on June 12. It is estimated that within six months at least 500 men will be working for the county while their families will be receiving $1.50 a day which the county will pay for the work of the husband, who meantime will be earning his board and lodging in the county jail.