A Deeper Look: Linn County

 

Linn County, Oregon

Thus says the Lord, “Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls. Jeremiah 6:16

The primary elections were held this week. Some results are still pending but continue to keep the integrity of the election process in prayer.

Having made our way down the North Coast, Southern Coast and across a few southern Oregon counties, we want to take a closer look at a tri-county region at the southern end of the Willamette Valley and west to the middle coast. The Linn-Benton-Lincoln County area is often linked anyway, so we will look at this region beeginning with Linn. Created in 1847 from southern Champoeg (Marion) the boundaries were altered later to accommodate Lane and Wasco. Calapooia, which later became Brownsville, was the first county seat, but in 1851 Albany was named the county seat.

Linn, Benton, Lincoln Counties

We’ve looked at the history of Albany a bit already. Let’s step back a few years and look at that original county seat, Brownsville.

Brownsville/Calapooia got its start in 1845-6 when settlers began taking up claims along the south side of the Calapooia River where a man named Kirk had established a ferry. Captain James Blakely laid out a town plat on that side of the river and named it after his uncle/business partner Hugh Brown in 1853. These two went on to establish a general store and other enterprises.

Meanwhile, in 1858 on the north side of the river, the Reverend Henry H. Spalding plated the town of Amelia, named after his youngest daughter. By 1859 these two towns plus another community combined to form what is now Brownsville.

Wait…what? Henry H. Spalding? In 1836 Marcus and Narcissa Whitman and Henry and Eliza Spalding were the first missionaries - the wives were the first European women - to make the trek to the Oregon Territory, which at that time was a much larger area. The Whitmans settled in what is now Washington State, just north of Walla Walla. The Spaldings went on to North Idaho near Lewiston and established a mission among the Nez Perce.  Henry, while sometimes not popular among the Nez Perce due to his rigid and harsh attitude – he had no tolerance for drinking, gambling, or polygamy - nevertheless taught the natives to farm and established a thriving mission. He preached to a congregation of 500 that on special occasions could reach 2000. One of his early converts, a Nez Perce from the Wallowa area of Oregon, took the name Joseph after his baptism. He later had a son, also named Joseph, who became the Chief Joseph who attempted to lead his people north to Canada to escape being put on a reservation.

Eliza gets much credit for the success of the mission as she served as a buffer between Henry and the Nez Perce. They adored her. She was often “shadowed” in her own home by native women who wanted to see how she raised her children, cooked, cleaned, did her hair. In addition to having a respectful and empathetic personality, she was an exceptional teacher. She learned the Nez Perce language, wrote books in their language, and developed techniques to teach large numbers of children English, the Bible, hymns, and how to sew and weave. They had the first loom and the first printing press in the West at Lapwai, their mission complex.

With an active, growing mission among the Nez Perce in northern Idaho in the 1840’s, what were they doing 442 miles away in Linn County in the 1850’s?

In 1847 their friends and fellow missionaries, the Whitman’s and 11 others, in Washington were murdered by the Cayuse Indians who blamed them for an epidemic of measles among the tribe. This made the entire intermountain area unsafe for several years. The Spaldings evacuated to the Willamette Valley, Oregon City at first, then to a house in Forest Grove. Tualatin Academy, which later became Pacific University, was just getting started in Forest Grove at that time and Eliza Spalding was hired to be their first teacher.

 In 1849 they moved to early Brownsville where Henry pastored a church and was commissioner of schools. Sadly, Eliza died in 1851, and was buried in Brownsville. She was only 44. Henry remarried a couple of years later and was finally allowed to return to the mission in Idaho but was back and forth to Brownsville for many years. He died at Lapwai in 1874.

Because of their position close to the Oregon Trail and, of course, the massacre, the Whitmans are familiar names. The Spaldings are as well, but personally, I associate them with Idaho and the Nez Perce. Interesting to know they had an impact on Linn County as well, in the early days of Oregon settlement.

Back to modern times: Linn County was one of 14 counties involved in a lawsuit against the state of Oregon for the state’s failure to maximize timber harvests that were designated to fund the counties. The counties were awarded 1.1 billion, but the Oregon Court of Appeals recently overturned the decision. Linn County has traditionally relied heavily on timber, so this is of major importance.

How do we pray for Linn County?

And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8

Pray for local government. The County Commissioners are Roger Nyquist, Sherrie Sprenger, and Will Tucker. The Sheriff is Michelle Duncan.

Pray for the lawsuit regarding timber harvests against the state of Oregon. While the Court of Appeals has overturned it, we don’t believe the matter is over yet.

Pray that the legacy of those Christians who served in the early Oregon Territory with wisdom, love, and grace, like Eliza Spalding, is renewed and restored. While not all done in Christ’s name was of Him, and missionaries were of varying abilities, she laid a good foundation in Oregon as well as Idaho.