Odessa, Missouri owes its existence to the building of the railroad through Lafayette County in 1878. When the surrounding communities of Chapel Hill, Greenton, and Mt. Hope found out where the tracks were to be laid, they converged on an area mostly owned by John Kirkpatrick to combine as one unified community. Actual buildings, such as the Bowlan Hotel in Mt. Hope,  were moved from their original locations and reconstructed in the new town.

The stagecoach lines that caused Chapel Hill to spring up as a crossroads town were beginning to wane as a preferred mode of transportation, and the railroad was becoming the new, convenient way to travel for both short and long distances. 

Within three years of the arrival of the railroad, Odessa was thriving with 800 inhabitants. Many businesses were in full bloom by then, including hotels, restaurants, banks, barbers, retail shops, and even a couple of saloons. Each time a train stopped at the depot, visitors stepped off to refresh themselves during their travels, residents or new arrivals found their homes, and local merchants reaped the financial benefits of being in a train town. 

Access to the railroad opened up a whole new world of travel to Odessa residents, and it created a rich and dynamic community that the locals were proud to claim as their own. As families and businesses set down their roots, the stories of the town began to unfold across the years and up to the present day.

Although the interstate replaced the rails as the dominant travel choice decades ago, we can look to our past to remember what Odessa can provide to residents and visitors.