This Week in Odessa History

100 Years Ago

The Odessa Record

October 12, 1917

Business men back festival: Second Odessa Chautauqua to be held Oct. 18, 18, 20: The season tickets are going fast for the second Odessa Chautauqua, to be furnished by the Ellison White company. The program is decidedly stronger in every line than it was last year and this is said fully realizing that last year offerings were hard to beat. The schedule this year lasts for three afternoons and evenings and is a three-day fest of instruction entertainment and information.

In the six numbers there are two musical companies, two lectures and two dramatic readers, besides that wonderful dramatic company, The Comus Players.

One lecturer and one reader are people whom the Odessa people all know from last year, Miss Ora Harkness and Dr. A.D. Carpenter. Neither of these, however, will give the numbers that they gave last year. Miss Harkness will give a new set of impersonations and Dr. Carpenter will either give his lecture “Celestial Mechanics” or one on Mars.

The American club has for years given Leland T. Powers first place on the continent as a dramatic reader and Powers says Moran Olsen is one of the very strong men in the country in his line Mr. Olsen will either give us “The Devil’s Disciple,” a satirical comedy by Bernard Shaw or he will give “The Terrible Meek” by Charles Rann Kennedy with some short characters sketches. Mr. Olsen is without doubt a wonderful dramatic reader.

James Finlay found dead: Attorney James Finlay, who for a number of years has also filled the office of local justice of peace, was found dead in a room at the rear of his office Saturday afternoon by Marshal Jenks, F.M. Fleisch and F.J. Hoagland. He was first missed by Mr. Fleisch for whom he had been doing notary work and it is thought that he had been dead about 24 hours when found, as he was last seen Friday about noon. The county authorities were communicated with and Dr. Lee Ganson deputized as coroner and the jury he impaneled pronounced that death came from unknown though natural cause. Decomposition had set in so it was necessary that burial be made at an early date and he was laid to rest in the Odessa cemetery Sunday morning.

Mr. Finlay had been a resident of Odessa over ten years. He was one of the best classically educated men to be found in this section. He spoke four languages, English, German, French, Italian and was a finished Latin scholar, but was a peculiar character and kept his business and family matters strictly to himself. He was supposed by many to be wealthy but the arrival of a brother, George Finlay from Kahlotus, whose whereabouts was learned by searching his effects after death, brought out information that indicate that his means were quite limited at the time of his death and that he left very little and his brother has made application to be administrator of his brother’s estate.

75 Years Ago

The Odessa Record

October 12, 1942

The office of price administration formally announced that motorists would be limited to five tires a car beginning next month, and at the same time disclosed that registration for gasoline ration books would start November 9 in the 31 states where gasoline is now unrationed.

The first private farm auction sale to be held in the Odessa area in many years will be held on Tuesday at the Chris Schiewe ranch north of Odessa. Mr. Schiewe has bought land near Spokane and will continue in the cattle business there.

Miss Viola Kiehn, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Carl Kiehn of Odessa, and Mr. Leland Boyk, Davenport, were united in marriage on Sunday afternoon at the bride’s home, the Rev. J.P. Flemmer officiating. Miss Evelyn Kiehn, sister of the bride, was bridesmaid, and Robert Schafer was the best man.

Odessa high school football players appeared to have won a football game against Davenport until the final quarter when the county-seat team unloosed an aerial attack to tie the score.

Velmer Deife, 185 pound guard on the Cheney college football team, is seeing regular action this year. Deife, now 21, is a senior at the Eastern Washington college, and is enlisted in the Army Air Corps reserve deferred for school.

At the annual convention of the American Lutheran church, held at Mendota, Ill., the Rev. Marcus Rieke, former Odessa youth, was installed as Luther League director for the church.

The Journalism class, in addition to gathering the school news for the Record, is helping get the library books in condition for checking out by typing the cards that go with the books.

A telegram to the Carl Kiehn family from Ed Kiehn states that he is again in California. This is the first word from Ed since early in May. He still says, “it’s the good old navy for me.”

Pvt. Weldon Walter is with the technical school squadron at the Sheppard Field air base in Texas. Among the group that left Spokane with him and also at Sheppard is Bert Patton, railway employee, well known here.

Jacob Reihs, who recently enlisted at Fort Lewis, is now at the Chico army flying school at Chico, Calif.

M.A. Cosgrove is on a vacation from the Odessa Drug company, and Otto Amen is taking charge of the store during his absence. Mr and Mrs. Amen are moving here to take charge of the ranch, and Mr. and Mrs. George Amen are moving to Odessa.

Mrs. J. A. Carstens had her hand caught in the wringer on a wash machine on Monday. She had the member attended to by Dr. L.J. Bonney.

53,000 people lost their lives in traffic accidents during 1966. 35,100 were drivers or passengers in automobiles. If they had been using seat belts, at least 8,000 to 10,000 of those lives would have been saved.

50 Years Ago

The Odessa Record

October 12, 1967

Homecoming Week: As part of the homecoming activities carried out by Odessa High School students, a pep rally was held in the downtown business district. Students and teachers participated as business people and their customers enjoyed the festivities.

At the pep rally, three male teachers, Roy Graffis, Jonah Heimbigner and Gordon Phil, served as the homecoming “royalty,” dressing up in lovely gowns and wigs and riding in an open convertible driven by Tom Litzinger.

The actual royalty were also pictured in the October 12 paper, along with their football player escorts.

25 Years Ago

The Odessa Record

October 12, 1992

Center changes will be studied by committee: A committee consisting of Odessa Town Council members and possibly other interested citizens as well is to be formed to determine the improvements needed at the Community Center.

The First Avenue facade of the structure, an interior wall and floors and doors are among the parts of the building to be considered for modification.

Council member Evelyn Weber was named by the Odessa Town Council to head the improvement committee.

Changes to the center would be both structural and cosmetic. Among the aesthetic considerations discussed has been a redesign of the facade, eliminating the false door and windows and a miniature balcony and refinishing the face of the building with a cleaner architectural appearance.

At their Monday night meeting, council members discussed at length the changes and repairs needed at the center. The interior wall on the south side of the main hall is in need of repair or replacement and doors also need to be caulked or in some instances replaced. Council members discussed these proposed changes and repairs as well as the possibility of other updates, including more efficient heating and insulation.

One change discussed was a more practical finish on walls and floors to protect against moisture caused by dampened wood chips spread on the floor of the Biergarten during Deutschesfest.

Chamber talks of Christmas Fest: The Tuesday meeting of the Odessa Chamber of Commerce, brought out some “brainstorming” ideas for the Christmas Fest.

Chamber would like to make Christmas Fest a special time for not only the downtown merchants but for the community. Decorating the stores in a continuing theme throughout the community would make everybody get into the Christmas spirit.

Some of the ideas for this year’s event are making the Old Town Hall look like Santa’s workshop, since that is where the Christmas tree is located.

Having lights on all the new trees in the downtown area, was also suggested. All lights should be the same color.

Once the group got going with this brainstorming, they had many more ideas. Others are to make a Christmas scene in the plaza that tells a German story, large presents under the Christmas tree, children’s choir, sleigh rides or wagon rides with horses and Christmas caroling through out town, lighting ceremony for the entire town, German bake sale, Christmas music with either the band or others playing and changing the date to the first Monday in December.

It was also suggested that each store provide hot cider and goodies for the customers. The idea of a Midnight Madness sale was also brought up.

All these were ideas to help make this Christmas Fest really special. “Let’s try to make Odessa the center for shopping for German Christmas gifts,” said Ann Herdrick.

Everyone agreed the goal was to get people to come to Odessa to do their Christmas shopping.