Praying for Oregon Counties: Morrow

 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters…Psalm 23:1

Morrow County was created in 1885 from the western part of Umatilla County and a bit of eastern Wasco. In 1887 an election was held to determine the county seat with Heppner defeating Lexington by a narrow margin. 

 

I’ll admit I have not been very familiar with Morrow County. It’s a bit like “flyover country” to someone who drives to the eastern part of the state occasionally. I have driven through Morrow many times via I-84 but never paid much attention to where Wasco County left off and Morrow began. 

 

It has, I find, a fascinating history.

 

The story of Morrow County is often linked to or even hyphenated with Umatilla County (Umatilla-Morrow.) The geography and economy, tied to agriculture, ranching and the Columbia River, are very similar. 

 

In 1855 the Native Americans in that area – the Walla Walla, Umatilla and Cayuse - signed a treaty that deeded 6.4 million acres to the U.S. government, and allotted reservations for the tribes. It must have been a daunting task for the federal Indian Agents who traveled the west negotiating with the tribes and getting agreements signed. Both the U.S. and the tribes wanted peace, recognizing the constant skirmishes and attacks were unsustainable. However, there were many issues. It is uncertain, with language barriers, how much the Native Americans actually understood about what they were signing. While the Warm Springs Reservation, the Umatilla Confederate Tribes, and the Colville Indian Reservation came into being during that time, some of the treaties were never ratified, in spite, perhaps, of the best intentions of the Agents, and the Native Americans were not paid amounts promised them. The size of their reservations, already a fraction of what had previously been their own, was reduced even more in decisions that were basically “land grabs.” There is a long legacy of injustice here.

 

We have done better: William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania and a Quaker, purchased land from the Delaware Indians and made a treaty (under a large elm, it is said) in June of 1683. This treaty was kept for several generations. The early Dutch in New York had fair treaties with the Natives that involved payment for land and were kept by both sides, also for generations. 

 

So, there are some things of which to repent in our dealings with the tribes. We can ask forgiveness for “the sins of our fathers," which include everything from well-intentioned-but-misguided policies to outright crimes. 

 

The newly available land drew a lot of ranchers and homesteaders into northeastern Oregon. A couple of things happened during the mid-1800’s. Ranchers were interested in the open land, and then there was a gold rush in the John Day area in Grant County to the south. Sheep were brought in to feed those gold camps with Heppner eventually becoming a hub for sheep. Wool became a major industry, rivaling cattle, during the 1860’s and afterwards. Because of the Irish sheepherders that came to tend the flocks in the 1860’s and 70’s, Morrow County has an unusually high percentage of Irish families whose forebears came as shepherds and stayed to build families and businesses. 

 

The story of the Irish migration to Morrow County is only one of several interesting bits of history.

 

Morrow County is still largely ranching and farming. The biggest city is Boardman, along the Columbia River and I-84, with over 3,000 population. The county seat, Heppner, has about 1200 and Irrigon around 1800. Morrow County also boasts a ghost town, Hardman. 

 

How do we pray for Morrow County?

 

Pray for the leadership: The Board of Commissioners has three members: Melissa Lindsey, chair; Don Russell, vice-chair; and Jim Doherty. 

 

He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young. Isaiah 40:11.

 

Lord, remember the days of the shepherds of Morrow County, and gather Your flocks. Gently lead the inhabitants of the county into green pastures and still waters.

Margaret