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Odin O
ff the beaten path, about three miles north of K-4 between Hoisington and Claflin lies Odin, a small town whose history hearkens back to the pioneer days of western and central Kansas. The town, founded in the 1870’s by German settlers, sits nestled at the crossroads of NE 90 Avenue and NE 140 Road. Though progress is evident in Odin, the 140-year plus history of the settlement in the area is still rich in the air and in the town’s structures. The Odin Store is where friends and family meet to watch a game, have a bite to eat, or pick up sandwiches and such to go. It’s a place for class reunions – several schools, some long gone and some still operating, once served the school-age population in the area, so the Odin Store is a fondly remembered meeting spot. Step into the store, and it becomes apparent people from near and far have found their way to the Odin Store where they left behind signatures and photos that fill the walls and ceiling. Holy Family Catholic Church, the second church to be built in Odin, is a beacon on the prairies of northern Barton County. The first, according to the Dodge City Diocese, St. Mary’s, was built in 1878 by Father Hundhausin, a visiting priest from Ellinwood
who would make the trip once a month to serve the sacrament to followers there. That church burned down, and it was replaced in 1878 with a stone church, Holy Family. After the church was built, a school was built and finished in 1908. Today, the church family is closely linked with the parishes of St. Joseph in Ellinwood and Immaculate Conception in Claflin. Fr. Terrance Klein, priest at St. Joseph and Holy Family, regularly invites the public to attend a monthly discussion, “Theology on Tap,” on the first Saturday of the month at the Underground Saloon inside
Ellinwood’s Historic Wolf Hotel. Early Mass at Odin’s Holy Family is served on Sundays, and the cemetery behind the church is a beautiful place to reflect. The town is also home to the Odin Rodeo Grounds/Prosser
Arena, which hosts multiple events each year. According to its website, it is an outdoor facility for rodeos, shows and practices, and is home to the annual Odin Rodeo, and other entertainment events.
