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ODESSA.
Considered as an enterprising western town Odessa has a most desirable location. It lies in a broad, productive valley, with Crab creek, a fine stream, traversing the place. It is
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located on the Great Northern Railway, twenty-five miles from Harrington, and the same distance from Ritzville, in Adams county, on the south. It is a Russian settlement and named for the celebrated wheat shipping point of the Muscovite empire.
Although one of the youngest tows in Lincoln county Odessa has come into prominence within the past few years and is rapidly taking its place in line with the most progressive municipalities in the Big Bend. Unlike the earlier settled portions of Lincoln county, where single individuals control and farm several sections, the agricultural population adjacent to Odessa is closely clustered and there are two or three settlers to the section. They are mostly German-Russian or Bohemian farmers. George W. Finney was the founder of the town of Odessa and he is the earliest pioneer of this portion of the county, having homesteaded the land upon which now stands the town. It was platted by Mr. Finney in the summer of 1899 in generous lots of 50x125 feet. Of Mr. Finney and his brother, Richard, the Big Bend Chief, published at Wilsoncreek, Douglas county, said:
"George and Dick Finney came to the Crab creek country from Missouri at an early day, and engaged in stock raising, the only line of business represented here. Dick located as a homestead what is now Odessa, but later relinquished it for the purpose of filing on a timber claim. George homesteaded a piece of land in the same locality. Later the brothers came into possession of the Odessa tract and when they dissolved partnership George, rather reluctantly, took possession of it. He attempted to raise wheat on the townsite of Odessa, but made a failure of it and decided that he had nearly a worthless ranch. A change came, however, and he platted a portion of it."The Odessa Record continues the story of the birth of the town:
George W. Finney may properly be called the father of Odessa. He settled in this part of Crab Creek valley in 1886, filing on the land where the greater portion of Odessa now stands, as a timber culture claim. There were only a few settlers up and down the creek in those days and it was not until the year 1892 that the Great Northern Railway was built through this part of the country to the coast. Houses were miles apart and Ritzville and Harrington were the nearest trading points. Up to six or seven years ago (1897) stock raising was carried on quite successfully in the valley and for years Mr. Finney's cattle roamed at will over the ground now occupied by the growing young town of Odessa.
It was in the winter of 1897-8 that Mr. Finney first conceived the idea of building a town here, and he set about to interest others in the project. The Great Northern then had a sidetrack here and the place was known as Odessa siding. In the month of January, 1898, Roy E. Trantum, W. N. Schoonover, and J. B. Ziegler landed here, driving across country from Ritzville to investigate the possibilities of opening a general merchandise store. They were well pleased with the location and believing that it would some day make a good town, Messrs. Tantrum and Schoonover decided to erect a store building. Mr. Finney furnished them with a site and they employed Mr. Ziegler to build for them. By May the building was completed and their stock, consisting of general merchandise and lumber having arrived, they commenced business.
In June the Odessa post office was established and Mr. Schoonover was appointed postmaster. Others had arrived on the scene by this time and a few buildings were put up and another store started by Gust. Zabel. In the fall Mr. Ziegler was appointed justice of the peace and notary public and opened a real estate and insurance office. It was then evident that there would be a town, so Mr. Finney employed J. W. Strack, then city engineer of Spokane, to survey and plat the town. (The town was platted July 17, 1899, by George W. Finney.) The following spring L. G. Nuelsen and George Unsoeld bought Trantum & Schoonover's stock of merchandise and Mr. Nuelsen succeeded Mr. Schoonover as postmaster, which office he held until February, 1901, when Dr. Connell, the present postmaster, was appointed to succeed him. In the fall of 1899 I. T. Whistler came here as agent for the Great Northern Railway Company. The depot was not built until the early part of the year 1900, and he transacted the company's business in Adams & Company's grain warehouse, now owned by the Seattle Grain Company.
At this time the population consisted of between fifty and one hundred people. During the year others came and several new business enterprises were started. In October Trantum & Schoonover's addition to the town was platted and they sold several lots. But it was not until the summer of 1901 that the town began to show rapid growth. During that year the population increased very rapidly and before the year was out it
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numbered over four hundred souls. In May, Finney's First Addition was platted and about the same time Mr. Ziegler laid out another addition to the town on the west. These two additions now constitute the greater part of the residence portion of the town. The Odessa State Bank was established in April, 1901, with George A. Kennedy, our present mayor, as cashier. The Odessa Record made its appearance on May 10th, with the name of M. F. Devlin at the masthead. Last year (1902), the town was incorporated, the mill, the new brick school house, and several brick blocks were erected and numerous new business enterprises established. In the fall another new addition to the town was laid out and platted, by Messrs. George W. Finney and J. J. Pattee.During the summer of 1903 Mr. Roy E. Trantum, one of the prominent business men of Odessa, contributed the following personal reminiscence to the Odessa Record:
Five years ago the 7th of last January (1898), J. B. Ziegler, W. N. Schoonover and myself landed in Crab Creek valley at a point known as Odessa sidetrack, on the main line of the Great Northern Railway, coming across the country with a team and wagon from Ritzville, the county seat of Adams county, to investigate the possibilities of opening a general merchandise store. The land tributary to Odessa, which is now fenced and producing the finest kind of wheat, was then a vast rolling prairie, and not a cabin or fence to greet the eye, but it was nevertheless, a magnificent picture. We were so well pleased with the location and believing that there was a glorious future for the country surrounding, Mr. Schoonover and myself decided at once to erect a store building and forthwith employed Mr. Ziegler, then a contractor, to erect a building 24x50 feet.In 1900 there were five business houses in Odessa and a census of the town would have disclosed a population of only 30. But the adjacent country was beginning to be well settled and 600,000 bushels of wheat were shipped from the town. Of the rapid growth of Odessa the Seattle Post-Intelligencer in June, 1902, said:
We had to wait about two months for our building material, and in the meantime Mr. Ziegler filed a homestead right on a vacant 40-acre tract a short distance from our location, and built a cabin thereon. The tract is now known as Ziegler's addition to Odessa. During the construction of our store building appeared upon the scene C. V. Drazan, an enterprising young immigrant agent, and he was so well pleased with the country, and foreseeing the grand opportunities to be achieved, he at once secured the agency of the Northern Pacific Land Company, acting as their resident agent, and commenced advertising the country and its possibilities, and to him a large share of praise is to be given for the number of industrious farmers who surround our busy little burg. By May we had a very good stock of general merchandise, lumber and wood. In June W. N. Schoonover was duly appointed postmaster, which office was much appreciated by the people in our locality. Previous to this time we had to go to Lamona for our mail, a distance of twelve miles east and it was a great inconvenience. It was evident that we would have a town, and Mr. Finney employed the services of J. W. Strack, a surveyor from Spokane, to lay out about ten acres in blocks and lots, and Mr. Finney then gave us a deed to one lot 50 x 100 on which our store was built. The lots sold so well that since that time Mr. Finney has had several additions staked out. Joe Jilk and Frank Ardolf were the next to erect a building for a hotel and a saloon. Mr. C. V. Drazan then built an office and in the fall Gus. Zabel built a store and put in a stock of general merchandise. At about this time J. I'.. Ziegler was appointed justice of the peace and notary public, also securing the agency of the American Central Fire Insurance Company. Mr. Ziegler has been very prosperous, which he deserves for his integrity and earnest work for the welfare of the town.
The Great Northern Express Company appointed the writer express agent the same fall which was another felt want in our neighborhood. The following spring L. G. Nuelsen and George Unsoeld succeeded the firm of Trantum & Schoonover in general merchandise, L. G. Nuelsen succeeding W. N T . Schoonover as postmaster. At about this time the Odessa school district was laid out and a school house built which has lately been replaced by a modern four-room brick structure that is a credit to our community. Odessa has progressed much more rapidly than any of its neighbors, and there is room in plenty for those who desire to locate in a prosperous locality.
"Just west of Lamona on the Great Northern Railway is one of those surprises which meet the traveler who comes through this section for the first time in two years — the town of Odessa. There was no Odessa beyond a sign post and a water tank in 1900. There is quite a good deal to Odessa now, and every bit there is lively. The wheat and grain shipping and the trade of the farmers in the surrounding country made this town. It has three hotels, more have been built during the past week. It has two business streets well lined with stores. It has a number of brick business
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blocks and several really handsome residences among its houses. Everything is very new but everything is well established. The place is growing as fast as material can be secured for buildings and men to erect them."The first steps toward incorporation were taken June 9, 1902. On that date a mass meeting of citizens was held at Smith's Hall. Sentiment was almost unanimously in favor of the proposition and a committee was appointed to secure signers to a petition to the county commissioners asking the privilege of voting on the
question. Seventy-two signatures were obtained and the petition was presented July 28th. The date set for election was September 13, 1902. Fifty-seven votes were cast, of which fifty were for incorporation and one against. Following is the vote for municipal officers:
For Mayor — George A. Kennedy, 45; L. G. Nuelsen, 8; J. B. Ziegler, 1.
For Councilmen — Joseph Kriegler, 55; J. B. Ziegler, 51; J. P. Weber, 51; S. S. Barney, 48; A. Bigham, 48; Roy E. Trantum, 4; Julius Krinkle, 4; Paul Alten, 2; F. Logsdon, 1; L. P. Zimmer, 1.
For Treasurer — E. J. Kriegler, 54.
The first meeting of the new city council was held October 1st.
The memorable Crab creek flood and its effect on the town of Odessa is thus described in the Record of date March 11, 1904:
"Odessa passed through the worst flood in her history this week. The oldest settler in this vicinity of the Crab creek valley has never witnessed its equal. The water, which had been unusually high this season, began to rise rapidly Tuesday morning and about 8 o'clock a.m., a telephone message was received from Barney Minard that the worst was yet to come and warned all to be prepared for it. Though living but a few miles from Odessa, it requires about six hours for water to traverse the space from Minard's to town, and preparations were at once begun to save our city bridges. Everybody worked with a will; in a few hours all were anchored and none too soon, for when the work was completed the water was up to their stringers. The old Finney flume, one of the landmarks of Odessa, was next threatened, and on account of the decayed condition of the same it was decided to anchor one side and cut out the part across the main channel for the preservation of the bridges below. Shortly after noon the water was out of its banks and flooding parts of the town, especially the southern and western portions. About this time the water had lifted Bob Smith's shop from its foundation but no further damage was done to that building. The people of Ziegler's addition were compelled to leave their homes and seek refuge on higher ground. By four o'clock nearly the entire town, except the north side and main street was covered with water. Later some of the Main street cellars began filling up and at 7:30 p. m., there were eight inches of water flowing through Main street and from six to twelve inches over every bridge in the city, with the water still slowly rising. Many of our people had left their homes and were spending the night with friends more fortunately situated. It is said that Henry Sieler's home accommodated about fifty people that evening. At midnight the water began to recede and has been falling steadily ever since.
"When one recalls the immense body of water which swept over the flat on which our city is located the small amount of damage done appears hardly credible. Not a bridge left its foundation, although some of the approaches and a few perpendicular and batter posts were washed out. The county, however, did not fare so well. Commissioner Kellum informs us this morning that there is not a bridge left on Crab Creek east of Odessa. From all parts of Lincoln county come reports that bridges have been washed away and roads rendered unfit for travel. The Great Northern roadbed between this place and Wilsoncreek has been greatly
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damaged by the flooding of the tracks and traffic has been practically at a standstill since Tuesday evening."
The present school district of Odessa was organized in December, 1897, and on January 10, 1898, the directors of the newly formed district held their initial meeting. George W. Finney donated the present beautiful site in the southeastern portion of the town, and a school building was erected. The growth of this school has been rapid. The single room frame building soon became too small and an addition was erected and another teacher employed. Early in 1902 it was found necessary to again increase the school facilities of the town, and the old building was disposed of and in its place was built a handsome four-room brick structure, provided with modern equipments, at a cost of $7,000. Those who have taught in this school and rendered most efficient service are Miss Anna L. Johnson. Mrs. F. J. McKay and Miss Carrie B. Weir. There are eight grades taught in the schools.
Municipal improvements are still progressing in Odessa. In October. 1902, a flouring mill was completed with a capacity of 400 barrels, and a total warehouse capacity of 60,000 bushels. In 1904 a system of water works was installed costing $14,000. For this purpose $12,000 in bonds were voted, in May, of that year, there being 45 votes in favor of the bonds and 5 against them. Odessa has four grain warehouses shipping from 750,000 to 900,000 bushels of grain annually.
The churches of Odessa comprise the Presbyterian. German Lutheran. German Congregational, Baptist and Catholic. Of fraternal societies there are. the A. O. U. W., I. O. O. F., D. of H. and F. of A. In May, 1902. the population of the town had increased to 436 and it is at present estimated at 800.
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