Standing in the Gap for Oregon

Old Fort Rock Store When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; Isaiah 43: 2, 3   As I write, the Bootleg fire in south central Oregon in the Fremont-Winema National Forest, is about 53% contained. This huge fire, the largest in the United States at the moment and third largest in Oregon history, is at about 413,000 acres, and around 2,000 people are involved in combating it. It started in Klamath County and spread north and east into Lake County.     Prayers for rain, containment and the safety of local residents and the fire crews are urgently needed.   Lake County is a fascinating place and with a huge land area and with a population of about one person per square mile. It was founded in 1874 and is part of the Oregon Outback, the dry high desert region of the state that makes up most of the southeastern quarter. When most folks th...

    Alsea Falls, Benton County, OR Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord . Psalm 34:11   Moving south down the Willamette Valley from Polk County, we find ourselves in Benton County. As with Polk, the county was once part of Yamhill, but was partitioned off in 1847. Like Yamhill and Polk before, it originally went all the way to the California border. Benton county was named after Missouri Senator Thomas Hart Benton, who was a staunch advocate of Oregon becoming part of the United States.     Corvallis, which means “heart of the valley,” is the county seat, and my personal experience with Benton is via Corvallis. Home of Oregon State University (Go, Beavers!), this is where both my parents attended college immediately after World War II, and where they met. They married while my dad was still taking classes, finishing his degree in agriculture, while Mom had graduated with a degree in home economics. Oregon State is a national l...

Ritner Creek Bridge, Polk County, OR And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The  restore r of paths to dwell in .   Isaiah 58:12     Of the counties that make up the Willamette Valley, Polk county has the smallest population. My personal impression of Polk County is that it is the beautiful stretch we drive through to reach the ocean beaches. We’ve stopped to eat in charming places like Dallas along the way, but have not spent much time sight-seeing, although there is actually a lot to explore in Polk County.     First, huge Yamhill County was created, then in 1845 they partitioned off Polk County, named after President James K. Polk. Originally Polk County went all the way to the California border. As the southern portion of the state was settled, additional counties were created until Polk became the size and shape it is...

Yamhill County, Oregon They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat of their fruit…And my elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands . Isaiah 65: 21, 22   While all the counties of Oregon are interesting and unique, Yamhill is one of the more fascinating. One of the oldest counties in Oregon, it is heavy with history. The original Yamhill District was one of the four original districts created by the Provisional Legislature in 1843. The other three were Twality (Washington), Clackamas, and Champooick (Marion), and, of course, all were huge. Yamhill originally was 12,000 square miles and encompassed the area from the Willamette River to the coast and from the Columbia River to the California border.   Now it is an area in the heart of the Willamette Valley of about 718 square miles with Tillamook County to the west, Polk to the south, Washington to the north, and Clackamas and Marion to the east. In 1847 the town of Lafayette , which was a on...