Praying for Oregon Counties: Clatsop

Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach

Sing to the Lord a new song, and His praise from the ends of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you coastlands and you inhabitants of them! Isaiah 42:10

 In no particular order, we are exploring each of Oregon’s 36 counties. We’ve gone from Malheur, in the extreme southeast corner of the state, to, now, Clatsop in the northwest corner. 

Clatsop is another old county, created out of the Tuality District, one of the original four districts established by the first Provincial Legislature. Clatsop County was established in 1844 and by 1853 had assumed its present boundaries. 

The Columbia River lies along Clatsop’s northern border and empties into the Pacific Ocean to the west. Washington State is on the other side of the Columbia, Tillamook county is to the south and Washington and Columbia counties to the east.

With Clatsop County we get even further back in Oregon history than the early days of Oregon City. Lewis and Clark ended their journey of exploration in Clatsop County, building Fort Clatsop just a few miles south of Astoria in 1805 – 06. You can visit a replica of the fort there now.

Astoria Bridge

In the 1850’s the county seat was in Lexington (now Warrenton) but as Astoria grew it was decided it was a more suitable location. Astoria is Oregon’s oldest town, established as a trading post in 1811 and named after John Jacob Astor. Very early history here!

Economically, tourism is important, as well as some manufacturing. Fishing and timber are still viable, but not as much as they were. About 30% of the county is in state forest, so the towns are mostly along the coast.

My only personal connection to Clatsop County is as a tourist, having visited Fort Clatsop as well as other well-known destinations such as Astoria. We even have a picture of the “Goonies house” – the Astoria film location of the 1985 move, The Goonies– which we tried to get without annoying the current owners. Cannon Beach with its iconic Haystack Rock is known nearly everywhere. And there is nothing like the experience of crossing the mouth of the Columbia via the Astoria Bridge.

How to pray for Clatsop County? 

Image by Matthew Z. from Pixabay 

There is an interesting site on Astoria as a tourist destination that has a page called “The Most Wicked Place on Earth.” Established so early as a port and trading center, Astoria has had a dark history of alcohol, prostitution and shanghaiing (the business of kidnapping men to send out as sailors). While it makes for interesting tours for out-of-towners, like going on a tour of Portland’s old Shanghai Tunnels, we might pause to think about that history from another angle.

Taking our cue from Daniel’s prayers of repentance, where he repented for “his people,” repenting for the “sins of our fathers” might not be out of order. 

Pray for the government officials: the five county commissioners, the administrator, the district attorney and the county sheriff.

Let them give glory to the Lord, and declare His praise in the coastlands. Isaiah 42:12

Margaret