This Week in Odessa History

100 years ago

Jan. 20, 1922

Biggest smoker of season. The local members of the American Legion have just completed arrangements for a smoker to be held on Saturday evening, Feb. 4, which promises to be the biggest event of its kind of the season. This smoker will be participated in by boxers and wrestlers from the towns of Davenport, Harrington, Ritzville and Odessa. The local boys have word from each of those towns saying that they may be sure of three or four participants from each town and they will be accompanied by a large bunch of boosters.

The principal feature of this smoker will be a wrestling match between Melvin Oestreich of Ritzville and Chas. I. Kucera of Odessa, which will be a finish match, best two falls in three. Although Oestreich comes with an enviable reputation as a wrestler, and although he is somewhat heavier than Kucera, the Odessa fans expect that our local man will hold his own in the match, In addition thereto there will be seven or eight boxing and wrestling bouts between men of the above named towns. These will be matched according to their respective weights and ages. A special invitation is extended to all ladies to attend this smoker, as it is to be a clean and respectable entertainment.

Reorganize Orchestra. C.N. Clark, who has been engaged to direct the Odessa Concert Band, has again reorganized the orchestra. Every night last week was devoted to practice and Friday evening the organization played for the Firemen’s Ball and showed that they had gone a long way toward rounding back into the form that made the O.C.B. Orchestra called equal to any in the Big Bend. The orchestra is composed of seven pieces and is made up of the following band members: C.N. Clark, Gus Weber, Al Wagner, Will Weber, Arthur Ganson, C.A. Bragg and Miss Dorothy Franz, who comes here weekly to give piano lessons to a class of 15 pupils has been engaged as pianist.

75 years ago

Jan. 16 , 1947

Changes to the business section during the past year have been numerous. New businesses started during 1946 were Jolly’s Apparel, the East End Service Station, Wolf Motor Sales, the Radio-Electric Service, Kissler’s Appliance store, the Hotel Odessa café, Dobson’s market, the Aero Dray, Harold’s Barber Shop, C & M Café, Holyk’s Time Shop.

Changes in business management were numerous. The Wolf Motor Sales replaced the former Weber Motors, the John Frank blacksmith shop was closed. W.N. Dahmen purchased the Corner Store, Weishaar Brothers obtained the Odessa Refrigeration from Clarence Buddrius, who had purchased the business earlier in the year. The Lyric Theater started construction of a new building, only to be halted by priorities, and will resume as soon as possible.

50 years ago

Jan. 20, 1972.

Council sets curfew, studies problems. The 1972 council members of the Town of Odessa, half new, half hold-over, were initiated into service by a report of an assault in Odessa which had occurred but 40 hours earlier. Incoming Mayor Ray Gilbertson welcomed newcomers Alvin Hardt, Martin Kramer, and Claude Rainey, as well as hold-overs Henry Michaelsen Jr. and Albert Wolf. Mike Hutsell, town marshal, reported to the council that a man passing through Odessa had been assaulted by three young men between 4:30 and 5:00 Sunday morning. The assault took place near the Drive In, where the man had walked in an attempt to keep warm while waiting for a west-bound Greyhound Bus. He was under the impression, according to Hutsell, that the early-morning bus was west-bound.

He reported being dragged across the street to the post office, where the arrival of a newsboy and his father scared off the attackers. The itinerant caught the afternoon bus to Seattle. As a result of the incident, council approval was given to an 11 p.m. weekday curfew for juveniles (those under 18) and a 12:30 curfew on weekends. The marshal also reported the find of a cache of pills. An 11-year-old boy, who thought that they were candy, found over 100 tablets Saturday afternoon. As of Monday night, identification of the pills had not been made.