Othello

History

The first white settlers in the area were two brothers, Ben and Sam Hutchinson, who built a cabin along the Crab Creek in 1884. An influx of homesteaders began after the start of the 20th century, and a post office was established in 1904. The post office was named Othello in a public contest after a post office also called Othello in Roane County, Tennessee. The Chicago, Milwaukee, & St. Paul Railroad ran a track through Adams County in 1907. In 1912, a hotel was built for the railroad workers. That hotel would be later known as the Old Hotel and Art Gallery. The railroad officially platted the town as a stop, with water to feed the boilers of steam trains. They kept the name Othello and built a railyard and wooden roundhouse there. Although the roundhouse burned in 1919, it was replaced with a brick structure that lasted many years. Businesses and settlers continued to follow, and the town was incorporated on May 31, 1910. At the time the railroad was the eastern terminus of the second electrified district of the Milwaukee Road's "Pacific Extension" route, which extended up to Tacoma, Washington. The railroad was abandoned in 1980 following the Milwaukee Road's bankruptcy. From 1951 to 1973, the 637th Radar Squadron operated the Othello Radar Station near the town. In 1958, an ice plant was opened in town to service railroad cars moving produce. Frozen food packaging came to town in the early 1960s, and has since become the main industry. Since 1998, Othello has also been home to the Sandhill Crane Festival, celebrating the annual arrival of sandhill cranes to the nearby Columbia National Wildlife Refuge.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Othello has a semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.

Race & ethnicity