This Week in Odessa History

Krupp was renamed Marlin 95 years ago

Ninety-Five years ago this week, sentiment against Germany during the height of World War I caused the citizens of Krupp, Odessa’s neighboring town 18 miles to the west, to change the name of their community to Marlin.

The following report is from The Odessa Record of 1918:

For some time past, the patriotic citzens of Krupp have rankled in the thought that the name of their abiding place was christened after the home of the largest German gunworks, and there has been growing sentiment for changing the name of Krupp to something that was less objectionable to the ear of a people in a good American town that has exceeded its quota on Liberty Loans and other patriotic drives as well as having given up the life of one of its promising young to the altar of the country.

A mass meeting of citizens of the town and country therefore assembled.

It was said that there were times that everybody talked at once, but everything was perfectly harmonious, and after a time, voting was begun as to whether the town should be Wheatland, Marne or Marlin-- Marlin finally won out.

100 Years Ago

From The Odessa Record

August 22, 1913

The Odessa Fire department decided to accept the proposition of the Gaule-Van Ronk Amusement company, and will hold a four-days’ carnival here. The attractions will include a Jungle show, Viola the Fat Woman, the Educated Horse, a Vaudeville show, Pittsburgh Glass Blowers, and a Snake show, besides a merry-go-round with a ferris wheel. Another feature of the carnival will be dancing each evening with good music by a five-piece orchestra.

It is well recommended, and the attractions which are vouched for by the fire boys are all clean, moral and refined, and the company prides itself in the fact that it carries no objectionable people.

75 Years Ago

From The Odessa Record

August 25,1938

More than 140,000 bushels of wheat went up in smoke Monday afternoon when the huge Odessa Union Warehouse company’s main elevator was destroyed by fire. Spontaneous combustion is thought to have started the blaze, which was seen as far as 25 miles.

Odessa continues to rank strong as a wheat shipping center. F.W. Morrison’s office lists 656 carloads of wheat cleared through the Odessa depot of the Great Northern railway, with an estimated bushelage of 918,400 from August 1, 1937, to August 1, 1938.

Odessa is the clearinghouse for shipments from Irby, Nemo, Lamona and Odessa stations.

50 Years Ago

From The Odessa Record

August 22,1963

From Friday night through a full day on Saturday, and again on Sunday afternoon, the annual Odessa rodeo and Festival comes this weekend. For the first time there will be a twilight rodeo held.

Activities start Friday night when Little League teams battle for the summer championship. More than 100 boys will be completing their program of summer baseball with the championship.

There will be a Saturday morning parade followed by a free barbecue.

Promptly at 5:00 p.m., the twilight hour, the eighth annual Odessa rodeo will get underway. Famed horses and bulls from the Jim McEwan rodeo string will furnish the competition.

The rodeo girls will return here this year for their exciting barrel competition. Other events are bareback riding, roping, bronc riding, bull riding and bull dogging.

25 Years Ago

From The Odessa Record

August 18, 1988

Seven Japanese students have been in the Odessa area this summer for a 20-day stay.

They each were awed by the amount of open country and the number of vehicles that families. In Japan they have to ask for permission to own a car and prove that they have space to park it.

The Odessa Lions Club has completed its installation of a new water fountain at the corner of First Avenue and First Street, the Community Center corner.

10 Years Ago

From The Odessa Record

August 21, 2003

For Ken Schutz, the Odessa School District’s new K-12 principal, moving to Odessa is like coming back home.

Schutz comes to Odessa schools after eight years in the Darrington School District in Snohomish County, which has an enrollment of about 330 students.

“Thirteen has always been my lucky number,” said Deanna Nelson.

On June 24 she was admitted to University of Washington Medical Center and on July 13 late in the afternoon her doctors received the call “we have a liver ready for a transplant and it matches your patient.”

Because of the life or death situation for Deanna she was placed on top priority on the nationwide list.