Looking Back

100 years ago

The Creston-Peach Donohue road has been closed for the season to vehicles carrying more than a thousand pounds. This is due to heavy loads tearing up the wet road. The road will reopen on April 15.

Two inches of snow fell Monday night in the Davenport area and is still on the ground. The overnight temperature is 10 degrees and high temps averaged 38 degrees last week.

The new concrete bridge across Crab Creek on the North Central highway, just east of the city limits, at the Dobson place, was opened to traffic on Wednesday.

75 years ago

Nearly 150 persons met at the Odessa Lions den on Armistice day for the annual Veteran’s day dinner. Baked ham with all the trimmings was served for the meal. After a musical program a dance was held at City Hall.

Ritzville 4-0-1 and Wilbur 3-0-2 are co-holders of the Bi-County football title. They are followed by Davenport 3-2, Reardan 2-2-1, Lind 1-4 and Odessa 0-5.

“Men, if your Thanksgiving dinner guests gasp when you pick up the carving knife, here are a few hints on how to look like a genial host instead of one of the Three Musketeers” Article by “The County Agent.”

50 years ago

The Odessa town council voted to contract with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s office for law enforcement through 1975. The cost to the town is $20,000 and the Sheriff’s office will cover the remaining $17,500 of the total cost for 2 deputies with 2 vehicles.

A Lincoln Mill closure is concerning to local merchants. The mill owned by Crown Zellerback will only run until the present supply of lumber is processed.

Postal officials remind folks that the Zip code for mail is mandatory rather than suggested. Nationally the U. S. Postal service handles approximately 91 billion pieces of mail annually. Locally the amount of mail handled has increased 300%.

25 years ago

The Odessa School board is pondering a levy for next February. Several factors such as decreased state funding, salary and wage increases, and forthcoming sewer charges and the near record low wheat prices are all factors being considered by the board.

Eastern Lincoln County has a new D.A.R.E. officer. Deputy Kelly Hembach is enjoying his interactions with students and the staff and students say they love him. Hembach takes over the D.A.R.E. program from newly elected Sheriff John Coley.

The season came to an abrupt end for Reardan Football last Friday when they were shut out by visiting Waitsburg Cardinals, in the first round of the State B-11 playoffs. Coach Dan Graham is proud of his team who went unbeaten up until this game.

10 years ago

A meeting between representatives of the Davenport city Council and the Davenport School board to renegotiate the expiring contract between the entities for baseball and softball fields resulted in an agreement from the school to pay the amount the city wants and items like weed control and a scoreboard will be taken care of by the city.

City of Odessa officials want rate hikes to keep up with expenses. 5% water rate increase, 5% sewer rate and 3% garbage rate hikes were proposed by Mayor Doug Plinski. This is all part of the proposed budget for 2015.

The long-term outlook for drinking and irrigation water in Moses Lake, Ritzville, Davenport, Othello and throughout the farm-rich Columbia Basin Project is increasingly positive.