Praying for Oregon Counties: Crook

Image by jimo663 from Pixabay
Then it shall be to Me a name of joy, a praise, and an honor before all nations of the earth, who shall hear all the good that I do to them; they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and all the prosperity that I provide for it. Jeremiah 33:9
  
Crook County, Oregon is in the geographical center of Oregon. The county seat, and only incorporated town, is Prineville. When I think of Crook County and Prineville I think of the “lonesome high dessert,” sagebrush, pine, juniper...and agates and thundereggs. But, to be perfectly accurate, the true Oregon High Dessert is to the south and east, more in Lake, Harney and Malheur Counties, but Crook is traditionally cattle ranches and agriculture, pine trees and coyotes. There have been some changes of late, however.

In 1882 the Oregon Legislature formed Crook County out of part of Wasco County, naming it after General George Crook, a veteran of the Civil War. 

Image by Tom Burgess from Pixabay 
It was hard to get to at first, but eventually routes such as the Santiam Pass were developed, and settlers were able to begin farming and ranching. Logging and sawmills were established in the Ochoco Mountains beginning in the mid 1800’s, cutting the pine and contributing to the area’s stability and economy.

An interesting settler in Crook County was Alice Day Pratt who took up homesteading in 1912 and later wrote books and articles about her experience. She was unusual as a single woman homesteader in wild central Oregon, but not unique. 

The county is just under 3000 square miles with a population of about 21,000 or 7 people per square mile. 

A few years ago a study named Prineville the poorest city in Oregon, which may or may not have been true, but low income and low education rates were a reality and the unemployment rate was at 17%. Then, in 2010, Facebook came to Prineville and built their first data center - a huge facility to
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay 
house the servers and storage systems that collect and store Facebook data - and since has built several more. Facebook is working on their ninth center in Prineville and has more in other locations as well. Apple also has tech facilities in Prineville. This change - the tech facilities built in Crook County and other Central Oregon communities - has given a much-needed boost to the economy, increasing the population and the general outlook of Central Oregon communities. See more here. 

How to pray for Crook County?

Crook County uses a County Court system of government, along with eight other counties in Oregon. The court consists of three elected officials: a county judge and two county commissioners. Other elected officials include assessor, clerk, district attorney, sheriff, surveyor and treasurer. 

Prineville has a mayor and seven city councilors.

Praying for the 2020 election: Crook County is in house district 55 and senate district 28. The Republican candidate for the state house is Vikki Breese-Iverson and the Democrat Barbara Fontaine. The state senate race includes Republican Dennis Linthicum and Democrat Hugh Palcic. 

Pray for the safety of the data stored in Prineville, and for the county to meet the various challenges that come from the changes the tech facilities bring.

 Margaret



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