Praying for Oregon Counties: Grant

St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Canyon City

 I will shake all the nations; and they will come with the desirable and precious things of all nations, and I will fill this house with glory and splendor,’ says the Lord of hosts.  ‘The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine,’ declares the Lord of hosts.  ‘The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘and in this place I shall give [the ultimate] peace and prosperity,’ declares the Lord of hosts.” Haggai 2: 7-9 AMP

I read an article recently on gold and God’s view of it. The beauty of gold, the fact it doesn’t tarnish, gives us a taste of heaven when we find it here. With our damaged human nature, however, the God-given value of gold can become twisted into an obsession: gold fever.

The first gold strike in eastern Oregon was in Grant County, at Whiskey Gulch near what became Canyon City, in 1862. It is said the placer mines in this area were the richest ever found in Oregon. Estimates indicate over 800,000 ounces of gold were taken out of the Whiskey Gulch area from 1862 to 1902. At current value, that would be worth $1.2 billion. This gold strike changed the history of the entire eastern Oregon region as it brought in more settlers, created a market for cattle and sheep, led to the establishment of several towns and the formation of county governments.

One of the groups drawn to the area were the Chinese who came to California in 1849 and then Oregon to work in the mines and to provide various services to the other miners such as cooking and laundry. The Chinese miners established their own mines as well, and were known for their willingness to do the hard work of panning out the mine tailings left by the other miners to extract the remaining gold. The largest Chinese settlement in eastern Oregon was in Canyon City until 1885, exceeded in population only by the community in Portland. In 1885 the Chinatown of Canyon City burned, probably due to arson, and the residents were denied permission to rebuild. They joined the Chinese community at John Day, a few miles away.

The Kam Wah Chung building in John Day is now a museum that preserves the history and culture of the Chinese community in John Day and Canyon City. “Doc” Hay was the community physician in John Day in the early twentieth century. OPB produced a documentary about him and his business partner, Kam Wah Chung: see here

 In exploring Grant County, we are back in the dry eastern Oregon desert. In fact, Grant, along with Wheeler, is the site of the John Day Fossil Beds. Grant was formed in 1864 from parts of Wasco and Umatilla Counties and named after General Ulysses S. Grant. Canyon City is the county seat, and John Day the largest town.

St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Canyon City is one of the oldest in the area. Built in 1876, it has survived three fires that destroyed most of the rest of the town. Also in Canyon City is the cabin of the poet Joaquin Miller, who was elected the third judge of Grant County in 1864. He lived a few years in Oregon before moving on to become the “poet of the Sierras.”

The current county judge is Scott Myers, with county commissioners Sam Palmer and Jim Hamsher. The county sheriff is Todd McKinley.

How do we pray for Grant County?

Therefore I love Your commandments more than gold, yes, than fine gold! Psalm 119: 127

Pray for wisdom for the judge and commissioners making decisions for Grant County.

Grand County is large, sparsely populated and rugged. Pray for the police and first responders who provide services for large areas. Pray for those isolated on farms and ranches.

Repent of any injustice: While the Chinese could be valued community members, there was also bias and suspicion and sometimes violence as in the massacre in Wallowa County and the arson in Canyon City.

Pray for the peace and prosperity of Grant County.