The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1917-08-23
BOOM Is NOW
ON AT ODELL
MANY BUILDINGS BEING ERECTED
Centrally Located on Mount Hood Line,
Town is Becoming Large
Shipping Point

Odell, in the geographical center Of
the Hood River valley, is one of the
boom towns of Oregon today. Fifteen
years ago the Odell community, which
received its name from William Odell,
the community's earliest settler, was
an ordinary sparsely settled rural COM
munity barely able to support the
little general merchandise store estab-
lished by Roswell Shelley.
Today Odell has a factory with the
largest payroll, outside of numbering
mills, in the county. At the plant of
Asa B. and Frank w. Cutler 80 car
penters, cabinet men and mechanics
are building machines used for grading
and sizing the apples of all northwest
ern fruit districts, and graders have
been shipped to Australia, California
and far eastern apple producing Sec
tions. Big warehouses of four apples
sales agencies have already been erect
ed at Odell. Additions to most of
them are being made this season, and
two other fruit warehouses are being
erected. Work has just been COM
menced on the plant of the Hood River
Valley Products Co., which will manu-
facture vinegar, cider, jellies and
evaporated apples. A new hotel build
ing is rising, and the town supports
two mercantile establishments, meat
market, barbershop and confectionery
| stores.
The Odell postoffice was established
in 1910. In honor Of the famed Hood
River apple, the town was given the
| name of Newtown. This name did not
have the approval of most of the old
residents, who thought the man who
developed the first Odell ranch, Will
liam Odell, should have the honor and
when it was found that the apple name
conficted with the designation of
another postofiice of the state, thus
liable to create postal confusion, the
pioneer name was applied.
Odell chiefly owes its development
to the Mt. Hood Ry. Co., on the val
ley line of which have sprung up the
stores and fruit warehouses. The COM
mumty of Odell itself, the land being
adapted especially to production of hay
crops, produces comparatively small
quantity of apples, but the surrounding
districts of Summit, Dukes Valley and
Willow Flat are banner apple sections,
and good roads, down grade, led to the
shipping point. In time to come, ac-
cording to predictions, cold storage
plants will arise at the valley station
and Odell may become almost as large
shipping point as Hood River, now,
from the standpoint of freight origina-
tion, the third town of Oregon.
In the sense of a population Odell is
no town. The residents practically all
have orchard places. Near the stores
and postoffice, it is true, some of the
homes are so closely adjoining as to
give the appearance of village. While
all homes are supplied with sufficient
water for domestic purposes, Odell cit
izens have become worried during the
past year as the number of buildings
rapily increase over supply of water
for fire protection. Agitation for an
incorporation for the purpose of financ-
ing a water system has been started.
The people of Odell and surrounding
orchard districts are progressive in
matters of education and religion.
One of the states most successful
uion churches is located there. The
Methodists also have a handsome
church structure. The Odell, Central
Vale and Dukes Valley school districts
have formed a union high school dis
trict. and modernly equipped bunga-
low home for the institution was COM
pleted the first of this year. The Odell
grangers are among the most progress
sive of the county, and a new grange
hall has just been completed.
Water for irrigating purposes is fur
nished the Odell district by the big
ditch of the East Fork Irrigating Dis
trict. Of the proportions of small
canal, the big ditch passes above the
town. The path along its bank, wind
ing around hills covered with oak, Ore
gon grape and vine maple, is a lovers
lane.
When Rev. Billy Sunday sought a
country home, he went to Odell. The
people of the mid-valley town are proud
of the Billy Sunday ranch. less than a
mile from the railroad station.
One of the most ardent and consist
ent boosters of the Odell community is
Mrs. L. A. E. Clark, now postmistress.
Mrs. Clark came here with her family
13 years ago from Kansas. For the
most of that time she has been rural
correspondent for the Hood River Gla-
cier. Mrs. Clark has never missed a
week getting her items to her paper
punctually and her publicity has gone
far toward putting Odell on the map
of Oregon.