About Odell Real Estate

Odell - Historical Sketch
A Brief History of Odell

This well known community of Hood River County was named for William Odell, who settled nearby around 1861, and who’s son, Milton D., was the first white child born in the valley in 1863. William was a native of Tennessee.
Roswell Shelley opened the first store in Odell and initiated the name. When the post office was first opened in June 1910, the town was called Newtown, not because of Hood Rivers famous apples but because it was a new town and the new settlement sprang up at the railroad station about 3/4 of a mile southeast of the old crossroads. SF Blythe, editor of the Glacier, by suggestion of Mrs. Troy Shelley, had the records show that the town should be Odell. It was changed in March, 1911.

Today, Diamond Fruit Growers, Inc. and Duckwall-Pooley Fruit Company plants make Odell the Hood River Valley’s largest fruit-packing and storing center.
Courtesy of Hood River County Chamber of Commerce