This Week in Odessa History

It was the week between Christmas and New Year’s in 1913, and farmers southwest of Odessa in the Batum area were apprehensive about the sausage thieves, who were raiding their smoke houses.

Most farmers were in the habit of making sausage after butchering pork during the winter months. One hundred years ago, an era before refrigeration, the sausage was hung out to cure and was smoked and various cuts of pork were put up in jars for use during the following year.

Reports coming in from Batum and Moody indicate there are a bunch of pork thieves at work in those neighborhoods, and they have been making a systematic canvass among the farm homes where butchering has been going on.

Late Thursday night or Friday morning they took more than $10 worth of fresh pork, sausage and lard from the Frank Schmidt farm and endeavored to conceal their work by taking out a piece of pork and sausage here and there from the large amount Mr. Schmidt had just butchered.

Jacob Melcher also reports the loss of a considerable quantity of sausage on the same night.

Henry Schmidt and his wife heard the robbers drive by their place about 4 o’clock on Friday morning in a spring wagon, but they could not see the parties on account of darkness.

Farmers in the neighborhood suspect it is someone who is familiar with the habits and doings of the people living there and that the thieves will make further raids on the supplies of other farmers.

All of the residents near Batum and Moody have warned, however, that should the plunderers be caught, it will go hard on them.

100 Years Ago

From The Odessa Record

December 19, 1913

While here yesterday, Ex-Governor M.E. Hay is reported to have sold to a colony of Russian settlers, from Los Angeles, 20 quarter sections of land, located 9 miles southwest of town and known as the Kellum place. This was owned by the Big Bend Land company of which the Ex-Governor is president. The two men who accompanied Mr. Hay were representatives of these settlers, of whom there are twenty families, and it is stated that they are to move onto the land in the near future.

The prosperity of the Big Bend has been apparent all fall, but nothing shows it better than the brisk Christmas trade which the local merchants are now enjoying. The weather bureau has also promised more snow for the next few days, and with a white mantle to add a holiday touch to things, the Christmas spirit will pervade every corner of the community and the cheer of the season will be general.

75 Years Ago

From The Odessa Record

December 22,1938

That rare event, a Christmas with snow on the ground, appears likely for Odessa this year. The snow has been falling at intervals during the past two days and better than an inch of snow lies on the ground.

The rebuilding of the Odessa electrical distributing system in Odessa was completed this week by the crew under the direction of Ed Grallap.

Many new poles were placed and street lights modernized. Work was started early in the summer, with a lay off while the crew ran a line across the Snake river.

Two weddings, including members of pioneer families, were held on Sunday. Sam Braun and Freda Ramm were married at the Christ Lutheran church and Clarence Buddrius and Laverna Weishaar wed at the ranch home of the Weishaar family.

If the revised work program as proposed by the Consolidated Builders, Inc. is approved by the engineers and officials of the Bureau of Reclamation, the great Grand Coulee dam will be completed as one of the marvels of the world in the spring of 1941, 18 months earlier than expected.

Under the suggested plan, concrete pouring would average from 300,000 to 350,000 cubic yards a month. It is held that the speeding of the operations would result in an actual reduction in the cost of the dam, due to greater efficiency.

50 Years Ago

From The Odessa Record

December 19,1963

Weather conditions shifted into snow this week and by Tuesday morning the going was rough for school buses and other transportation. Schools closed early that day so rigs could get home during the thawing hours before the night temperatures started to ice.

With the coat of fresh snow the familiar roads lost their identity, and drivers were forced to guess at where the road bed lay. Only one school bus had serious trouble that morning although each had problems.

10 Years Ago

From The Odessa Record

December 18, 2003

Citizens and friends of the community are invited to an open house December 18 in honor of retiring Odessa Mayor Carl Ryan.

Ryan’s service to the town spans a 16-year period, three four-year terms as a member of the Odessa Town Council and his soon-to-be-completed four-year tenure as mayor.

The Odessa Grange Supply Company of Odessa was burglarized between 9 p.m. Sunday night and 5:50 a.m. Monday morning.

Paul Hopp, arriving at work at 5:50 a.m., discovered the back door slightly open and walked through the building and found the safe upside down and empty.

Stolen were money from the safe, two flat screen computer monitors and a digital camera.

25 Years Ago

From The Odessa Record

December 22, 1988

After a chimney fire in Odessa a week ago, fire chief Paul Hopp expressed concern that others may follow.

“Everyone in the home should know their job in case of fire,” said Hopp. “Lives and property can be saved with prompt, positive action.”

The chief also said a measure of safety can be added, even during sleeping hours, by installing and maintaining working smoke detectors, and by sleeping with inside doors closed.