A Deeper Look: Baker County
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| De Sales Cathedral, Baker County, OR |
(We are on vacation this week, so revisiting parts of an earlier post.)
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. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of
righteousness for His name’s sake. Psalm 23:1-3
The second anniversary of the 2020 Labor Day fires was this month, so many Oregonians are on high alert. Recently I-84 between Baker City and Pendleton was blocked due to wildfire. Continued prayers are appreciated for the entire state, as well as Baker County.
In 1811 Wilson Price Hunt was sent by John Jacob Astor to lead a group overland to establish the fur trading post of Astoria. Another group had been sent by sea. Hunt was young, fit and capable as a leader, but he lacked experience and underestimated the time it would take to get to the Pacific. The Overland Party followed the trail blazed by Lewis and Clark just a few years earlier, but then decided to swing south into unknown territory to avoid the hostile Blackfeet. By mid-winter in icy, snowy conditions, they found themselves starving in rugged Hell’s Canyon with no way to go forward. They split the party, tragically lost a couple of men, and finally found their way to the friendlier Shoshone who led them over the Blue Mountains into a beautiful green valley.
When I read the description of the valley in Peter Starke’s Astoria: John Jacob Astor and Thomas Jefferson’s Lost Pacific Empire, I realized I knew right where they were: Baker County, Oregon in the far eastern part of the state.
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| Baker County, Oregon |
The population grew as miners and settlers moved in, and in 1862 Baker County was split off from Wasco, named after a Senator from Oregon, Edward Dickinson Baker, who had been killed in a Civil War battle in Virginia. He was the only member of Congress to be killed in the Civil War. Senator Baker was also a member of the Disciples of Christ, one of the earliest denominations to be established in Baker County. He was also a friend of Abraham Lincoln. The Lincolns named their second son Edward Baker Lincoln in his honor.
Baker City is the largest city and the county seat. It was established in the late 1860’s during the gold rush. The heyday for Baker City was during the early nineteenth century when it was known as the “Queen of the Inland Empire.” The town and the county had a substantial Chinese population during those years. The Chinese, mostly men, came to work the mines and build ditches during the gold rush years and contributed a great deal to the settlement of the area.
The Sheriff of Baker County is Travis Ash, and Baker seems to be a relatively quiet county with an adequate number of law enforcement personnel. One auxiliary organization deserves mention. The Baker County Sheriff Search and Rescue team is all volunteer and puts in about 2000 hours per year in a variety of rescue operations. The knowledgeable and experienced team members donate their time and personal equipment to come to the aid of lost hunters, woodcutters, hikers, campers, children, and downed aircraft in the scenic, but rugged, mountains of Baker County The volunteers include Ground Searchers, Trackers, SCUBA divers, Horseback teams, Four-wheelers, and others with various skills. They travel over 10,000 miles per year on an average of 10 – 12 missions per year involving folks from 5 to 90 years old.
The Baker County Commissioners are Bill Harvey, Commission Chair; Bruce Nichols, and Mark E. Bennett.
How to pray for Baker County?
The Lord said to His people, “Stand at the crossroads and look. Ask for the ancient paths and where the best road is. Walk in it and you will live in peace.” Jeremiah 6:16
Pray for the Sheriff’s Office and Sheriff Travis Ash as well as the Search and Rescue volunteers.
Pray for the churches of Baker County. Many have been established for over 100 years.
Pray for wisdom and direction for the County Commissioners: Bill Harvey, Bruce Nichols and Mark E. Bennett.
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