Odem, Texas is at the intersection of two rail lines twenty miles from Corpus Christi in southwestern San Patricio County. The St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway laid tracks through the county in 1907, and the town was platted in 1909 by John James Welder and David Odem. It was named for Odem, who was the county sheriff. A switch and siding at the site was known as Dofin, and a mail hook was set up even before the post office was approved. The post office opened in 1909 with Jarrad B. Clark as postmaster. The town developers sold farmland from the Brazado Pasture, which was once part of the Coleman-Fulton Pasture Company lands. The development of this ranchland into farms, plus the absorption of the nearby small communities of Meansville, Angelita, Kaleta, and Sharpsburg, helped Odem grow as a trading center. The Odem State Bank opened in 1914, and by 1915 the town had a population of 500 and three churches, several general merchandise stores, and a growing school system. The Odem News, with J. C. Price as editor, began publication on April 1, 1915. An Odem chamber of commerce was organized in 1928, and the town was incorporated in 1929, with J. F. Janicke as mayor.