A Deeper Look: Morrow County


But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Matthew 9:36

Morrow county was created in 1885, from a portion of Umatilla County to the east. It was named after Jackson L. Morrow, an early resident and state representative who advocated for the county’s formation.

Hepner is the county seat, established in 1873 when Henry Hepner and Jackson L. Morrow opened the first mercantile store in the area.  

Morrow County, Oregon
On June 14, 1903 – a Sunday evening - Hepner experienced one of the most devastating natural disasters in Oregon history. Willow Creek, a peaceful little stream said to be about ankle deep in June, runs through the town. As many of the 1500 residents were getting ready for the evening church services, a thunderstorm began. At 5:16 a flash of lightening stopped the town clock while a mile south a sudden cloudburst released a wall of water and sent it hurling down the narrow canyon. It swept through Hepner with no warning, destroying one-third of the buildings and killing 247 residents in less than an hour.

Two men - Leslie Matlock, the son of a former county sheriff, and Bruce Kelley - seeing the danger for residents downstream, including the towns of Lexington and Ione, jumped on horses and rode just ahead of the flood to warn the townspeople and ranchers. Downstream residents were able to get themselves and cattle to higher ground before the wall of water arrived. Matlock’s horse dropped dead during the ride, but he borrowed a fresh horse and continued a total of 18 miles.

This disaster made national news with support and assistance from Portland and the entire state being organized.

Willow Creek dam now keeps flooding under control. Willow Creek is actually a 79-mile-long tributary of the Columbia River, flowing into the Columbia just above Arlington.

While the county is known for wheat ranches and sheep, in 2022 it was announced that Amazon intends to build at least 5 commercial data centers in Morrow County, a project worth around 12 billion dollars total.

How do we pray for Morrow County?

And the rains descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.  Matthew 7:25

Pray for local leadership. The Board of County Commissioners is Jim Doherty, Melissa Lindsay, and Don Russell. The County Sheriff is Kenneth W. Matlack.

Pray for the coming Amazon presence in Morrow County, and the changes in the economy that may bring.

Pray all the homes in Morrow County will be founded “upon the rock,” trusting in the Lord and safe from the natural and supernatural winds and floods.

Pray for the travelers along I-84 and the Columbia River.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Praying for Oregon Counties: Multnomah

Image
Mount Hood, Oregon Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the great mountains; Your judgments are a great deep;  Psalm 36: 5-6   We turn our attention to Multnomah County, but most eyes, and news cameras, are fixed there already. Multnomah County is the smallest in land - 466 square miles - and the largest in population…and influence. Compare Multnomah with 1705 people per square mile, to Malheur County with three. This is, of course, due to Portland, the largest city in the state, which is also the county seat. In fact, since 1968 the county government has had a consolidated city-county government and there have been some attempts to merge the city-county government into one unit.  Multnomah was created in 1854 out of the eastern edge of Washington County and a northern strip of Clackamas County. Its northern border is the Columbia Ri...
Read more

Get With The Plan

Image
Image by  ErikaWittlieb  from  Pixabay   Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” Isaiah 30:21   In writing this series of blog posts on Oregon counties, I’ve had to do some historical research. In looking at some counties, particularly those with which I have little personal experience or knowledge, I am sometimes at a loss to suggest a prayer focus. What is really going on behind the scenes? Most importantly, what are the spiritual roots of poverty, or corruption or a high crime rate in certain areas?   While it is always good to pray general prayers, asking the Lord to bless a certain city, to reveal truth, to encourage honest, faithful folks and prosper those who are seeking to earn a living for their families, sometimes we have to dig deeper, not just in research but in prayer.  This is where we hone our skill in hearing God’s directions, and following His plan. Image by...
Read more

Continue to Stand in the Gap: Umatilla County

Image
Umapine Church, Umatilla County, OR The wilderness and the dry land will be glad; the desert will rejoice and blossom like a rose. Isaiah 35:1 Umatilla County - home to Hermiston watermelons, the Pendleton Roundup, and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. The three-member Board of Commissioners for Umatilla County comprises Dan Dorran , George Murdock , and John Shafer . The Umatilla County Sheriff is Terry Rowan who oversees a county of over 3,000 square miles and a population of 77,000. The county seat is Pendleton while the largest town is Hermiston. We’ve written about the various sections of Umatilla County, the growth around Hermiston and other historical information, including some of the church history of the area here , here , and here . Umatilla County, Oregon As I wrote this over the weekend of February 25 th , a celebration took place in Pendleton at the Pendleton Convention Center. Called “Two Cultures, One Community Powwow,” it took place...
Read more