This week in Odessa History

New Alder Street Bridge was constructed 48 years ago

A new concrete bridge over Crab Creek was being built 48 years ago this week.

The new span replaced a narrower concrete bridge which had been built in 1910.

The Odessa Record had this report on the progress of the construction of the new bridge.

Concrete is being poured on the new bridge on Alder Street in Odessa. Forms were completed for a heavy steel reinforcing installed by the first of the week, with concrete work starting on Wednesday.

The new bridge is part of an improvement project on State Highway 21.

The roadbed of nearly two feet of concrete is being poured, with the cement mix being trucked in from Ritzville. A long-nosed crane lifts buckets of concrete, poured for the trucks unloading in the dry Crab Creek bed, up onto the deck of the bridge.

A special cement finisher, which extends the width of the bridge, has been placed in position and works the fresh concrete into a smooth surface as the pouring slowly progresses.

N.A. Degerstrom, Inc., of Spoken, is contractor for the project. The same firm has nearly completed work on a second bridge located 8 miles south of Odessa on Highway 21.

The contract for the two structures and their approaches was awarded at $171,678 by the State Highway Department. Work was started last July.

100 Years Ago

From The Odessa Record

September 12, 1913

Of the 1,141,990 people living in the State of Washington, 57 percent live in cities.

There are 61 cities in the state, all but three having less than 25,000 inhabitants, while 36 of these cities have less than 2,500 inhabitants. The three largest cities are Seattle, with a population of 237,000; Spokane with a population of 104,000; and Tacoma with a population of 84,000. Between 1900 and 1910 the urban population increased nearly twice as rapidly as the rural population.

The land area of the state, 67,000 square miles, the population averages 17 to the square mile, while the average of the whole United States is 30 to the square mile.

There are 136 men to 100 women. There are 255,000 families, living in 239,000 dwellings.

The white males of voting age number 423,000. There are about 200,000 native white women of voting age.

75 Years Ago

From The Odessa Record

September 15,1938

European troubles took on the possibility of war this week. Hitler made the news. German troops were moved into the new Sigfried chain of fortifications, facing France. It was stated as a simple maneuver.

At the Nazi party congress at Nurnberg Hitler addressed the nations of the world, offering a peaceful settlement of the dispute of the Sudetan German minority, if his terms were met.

In the meantime the nations of Europe are mobilizing. The Czechs have called reserves to the colors and are apparently ready to fight.

The second annual Lincoln county and 4-H club fair opened this afternoon with a street parade at 1:30. There are 34 booths reserved in the main exhibit hall and an extra tent has been pitched in which machinery and other exhibits will be shown.

50 Years Ago

From The Odessa Record

September 12,1963

Farmers throughout the area are reporting the lowest water levels in farm wells of at any time in present memory. Springs which have been active through the years are dry this year. Old timers, with a memory back at least 62 years, do not remember that this spring has ever dried up before.

Some wells rebuild their water supply between pumpings, but for only a short time. Others start pumping air after just a short operation. Efforts to add pipe to reach a new level have not been satisfactory.

10 Years Ago

From The Odessa Record

September 11, 2003

Nancy Glines has been named associate of The Odessa Record.

In this position she is responsible for office management, bookkeeping, advertising coordination and various other business aspects of the newspaper.

She also is associated on the editorial side as a photographer and feature writer.

25 Years Ago

From The Odessa Record

September 8, 1988

Kerri Watters of Odessa was crowned 1988 Lincoln County Fair Queen after a competition which included a dozen girls from throughout the county.

Concerns that current wheat exports will reduce the nation’s grain reserve to dangerous levels are unwarranted, according to Washington State University grain marketing specialist Bob Sargent.

Official government projections for the current marketing year, which ends May 31, 1989, indicate the nation’s reserve stocks might fall to as low as 600 million bushels, about half the amount carried over last May.