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Continue to Stand in the Gap: Deschutes County

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Deschutes County, Oregon. Charlotte Lake The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose; Isaiah 35:1 Just to the west of Crook County is Deschutes, which has the distinction of being the youngest county in the state, created in 1916, and is also the fastest growing. The population has exploded to nearly 200,000 in recent years, and the county is now considered the political and economic center of Central Oregon. Bend is the county seat. The other incorporated towns are La Pine, Redmond, and Sisters. You can read more about Deschutes County history here , here, and here . Deschutes County, OR A recent letter in the Bend Bulletin pointed out that the county has had three commissioner positions since 1971 when Deschutes County had about 30,000 population. It now has over 200,000 but is still represented by three commissioners, spreading representation pretty thin. The county has already made changes in the county board,
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Continue to Stand in the Gap: Crook County

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Crook County, Oregon Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Matthew 5:9 Crook County, the geographical heart of Oregon, is seeing a jump in population . While the western counties, like Multnomah and Washington, are losing people, Crook County, from 2020 to 2023, grew 9% in population. Some of this was due to the Pandemic as the central part of the state – Deschutes, Crook, and Jefferson Counties – was considered a haven for remote work in Oregon. There has also been an increase due to the newly built data centers. The downside is that this influx of people has brought a huge jump in real estate prices with the average home in Bend or Prineville increasing as much as $100,000.   Prineville is the county seat of Crook County. Read more about Crook County here , here , and here . Crook County, Oregon The Crook County government, like several in eastern Oregon, has been of the old County Judge type with one judge and two Commissioners. The County Judge,
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Continue to Stand in the Gap: Wheeler County

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Highway 207-Wheeler County Oregon The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, And the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose; Isaiah 35:1 The population of Wheeler County, just south of Gilliam County, hovers around 1400 making it the least populated county in the state. In addition to that, it has an aging population with the young folks leaving the area for better opportunities elsewhere. It is, however, a popular tourist destination with fossil beds and national forests for recreation. The county seat is the town of Fossil. We’ve talked about Wheeler’s beautiful high desert areas here , here , and here. Wheeler County, Oregon Wheeler County is governed by the County Court system. The current Judge is N. Lynn Morley who serves with commissioners Clinton Dyer and Ben Logan . Sherrif Mike Smith was elected in 2020 and his term ends in 2024. Three deputies and some reserve officers make up the law enforcement in Wheeler County. Back in 2012, Wheeler County e
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Continue to Stand in the Gap: Gilliam County

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Windmills, Gilliam County, Oregon The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered with grain; they shout for joy, they also sing. Psalm 65:13 Leaving the North East Region of Oregon, we are moving into the North Central section which consists of the eight-county region along the northern border of the state. Gilliam, Sherman, Wasco, Hood River, Wheeler, Jefferson, Crook, and Deschutes counties make up this large section of Oregon that is bordered by the Columbia River on the north, and by the mid-south counties of Klamath and Lake just below. We have looked at Gilliam County before, here , here , and here . Gilliam County, created in 1885, was named after Cornelius Gilliam, a major participant in the Cayuse War after the Whitman Massacre. Arlington was the first county seat, but the county seat was later moved 38 miles south to Condon. Arlington is along the Columbia River and I-84, so it is a part of Gilliam with which many are familiar. Gilliam County, OR Gilli
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Continue to Stand in the Gap: Morrow County

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Willow Creek Dam, near Hepner, Morrow County, OR He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, And light dwells with Him. Daniel 2:22 Morrow County was one of the counties still under the County Court system of government, but in 2017 the Court became the Morrow County Board of Commissioners. Currently, the Board comprises David Sykes , the Chair; Jeff Wenholz ; and Roy Drago Jr . All three were elected in 2023, so it is a fairly new Board. The Sheriff of Morrow County is John A. Bowles and the Undersheriff is Brian Snyder. Described as dry and flat, except for the bit of the Blue Mountains at the southern end, Morrow County is the last county of the six-county Northeast Region as we move toward the west. Heppner is the county seat, and Boardman is the largest town with a population of 3,828.  The entire county has 12,186 residents spread over 2, 049 square miles. The Columbia River forms its northern boundary, an important consideration, as it turns out,
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Continue to Stand in the Gap: Grant County

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Strawberry Mountains, Grant County, OR Sing praises on the harp to our God, who covers the heavens with clouds, who prepares rain for the earth, who makes grass grow on the mountains. Psalm 147: 7-8 Grant County, named after General Ulysses S. Grant, is the fourth least-populated county in the state. It is home to part of the John Day Fossil Beds and the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness. The county seat is Canyon City but the major town in the county is John Day, once considered the epicenter of the Oregon gold rush in eastern Oregon. Now the rural town is a popular outdoor recreation spot and tourist destination. Like a handful of other eastern Oregon counties, Grant County is still governed by the County Court system with Judge Scott Myers as the County Judge and Jim Hamsher and Sam Palmer as the Commissioners. Todd McKinley is the County Sheriff. Grant County, OR The county was established in 1864 out of parts of Wasco and Umatilla Counties. You can read more about the early
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Continue to Stand in the Gap: Umatilla County

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Umapine Church, Umatilla County, OR The wilderness and the dry land will be glad; the desert will rejoice and blossom like a rose. Isaiah 35:1 Umatilla County - home to Hermiston watermelons, the Pendleton Roundup, and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. The three-member Board of Commissioners for Umatilla County comprises Dan Dorran , George Murdock , and John Shafer . The Umatilla County Sheriff is Terry Rowan who oversees a county of over 3,000 square miles and a population of 77,000. The county seat is Pendleton while the largest town is Hermiston. We’ve written about the various sections of Umatilla County, the growth around Hermiston and other historical information, including some of the church history of the area here , here , and here . Umatilla County, Oregon As I wrote this over the weekend of February 25 th , a celebration took place in Pendleton at the Pendleton Convention Center. Called “Two Cultures, One Community Powwow,” it took place
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