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 Odessa Posted by:  QuesterMark
N 31° 50.977 W 102° 22.464
13R E 748444 N 3526772
This marker, summarizing the history of the city of Odessa, is at the corner of W 8th and N Sam Houston in, of course, Odessa.
Waymark Code: WM1X4W
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 07/24/2007
Views: 63
Index Entry: Odessa, Texas
County: Ector
Subject Codes: CY;
Year Marker Erected: 1967,2002
Marker Location: 8th St. & N. Sam Houston, Odessa
Marker Size: 27" x 42"
Marker Number: 3670
Marker Text:
After the Texas and Pacific Railway extended its line to the south plains of Texas in 1881, the Odessa Land and Townsite Company of Zanesville, Ohio, began promotional efforts to attract settlers to its property along the rail line. Regular excursion trains brought many settlers to the area, including Charles and Lucy White, who came with their family from Indiana and helped transform this area from prairie to city. Their 1887 home serves as a museum today, a reminder of Odessa's early development.
Odessa's first Post Office opened in 1885. The town was platted the following year and became county seat when Ector County was formally organized in 1891. The first elected county commissioners were M.G. Buchanan, J.W. Driven, James Bolton and J.L. Gray.
Located in the Permian Basin, in the midst of great oil and natural gas reserves, Odessa was a small farming and ranching town until oil was discovered on the W.E. Connell Ranch (16 mi.SW) in 1926. Growth was rapid, and the city was incorporated the following year, with S.R. McKinney as first mayor. By 1930 Odessa was an established oil center and after World War II, it became a major distribution and processing point in the petrochemical industry.
The City of Odessa serves as a vital trading center for this part of Texas and boasts civic, cultural and educational opportunities for citiens and visitors alike. With its roots in cattle and oil, the community is an important reflection of Texas history and heritage. (1967, 2002)
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Visit Instructions:
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