Waddell Pecan Tree
Odessa, Ector County, Texas
Marker Inscription
A few years after Odessa was founded in 1881, a squirrel stole a pecan from a neighbor's porch, and buried it in the yard of W. T. Malone, planting this tree. A rarity in the downtown area, it became a well-known landmark. When R. T. ("Cotton") Waddell (1889-1964) and his wife Mary Lee moved from their ranch to this home on July 1, 1926, they found entire neighborhood enjoying the native pecans from their tree. The R. T. Waddells, younger generation of a family influential in this region since the 1870s, gave time and talent to civic works as freely as their tree gave shade.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
A few years after Odessa's founding in 1881, a squirrel is said to have buried a stolen pecan that sprouted into this tree, a green rarity in the dusty West Texas downtown. By the time the Waddell family moved to the adjoining home in 1926, neighbors were gathering to enjoy its native pecans. "Cotton" Waddell and his wife Mary Lee, part of a family influential in the region since the 1870s, let the tree shade the community as freely as they gave their time to civic life.
Why it matters
A cherished shade tree in a windswept oil-and-ranch town, the marker captures how small landmarks and generous families knit together community life on the West Texas plains.
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Related people
- · R. T. "Cotton" Waddell
- · Mary Lee Waddell
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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