A Deeper Look: Harney County
 |
| Harney County Courthouse |
But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. Micah 5:2
While we might have questions about Klamath or Lake Counties, there is no doubt at all that Harney County is in the Oregon Outback. It is in the southwest corner of the state, bordering Nevada, and is five hours from Portland, but only three from Boise, Idaho. At
10,622 square miles it is the largest county in the state – in fact, in many
states - and Oregon’s sixth least populated by total population, but the most
sparsely populated when calculating people per square mile.
The county seat is the town of Burns, with Hines, just
next door, being the other incorporated town in the county.
 |
| Harney County, OR |
Since we are speaking of schools, (classes have just begun),
Burns has several, including Burns Alternative School, Burns High School, Henry L.
Slater Elementary School, Monroe School and Bible Baptist Christian Academy.
Other communities, including Hines, Riley, Drewsey, Frenchglen, and Fields have
elementary schools. The School Resource Officer (SRO) for the county, Tanner
Bennett, has been present to welcome students back for the school year. Keep
him in your prayers.
An SRO, or School Resource Officer, is a
sworn law-enforcement officer who works in a school setting to monitor the
school and ensure the safety of students and staff. They have arrest capability
and most (91%) are armed and carry handcuffs.
In 1894 Faith Baptist Church was established in Burns.
Sixty years later, in 1954, part of the congregation created a sister church,
First Conservative Baptist Church, in Hines, just a few miles away. In 1976 the
two churches united, becoming Faith Baptist Church of Harney County, now
located between the two towns. Their present building was built in 1980.
It is surprising what turns up when looking through
the history of an area. In delving into another Outback county, I came across
one early writer bemoaning the fact that the old-timers were disappearing and
no one, apparently, had written anything down. This is not true of Harney
County – there is a lot to read about Harney County history. Much of this is
due to the Harney County Library, built in 1969 in Burns, and the Claire McGill
Luce Western History Room which was established in 2006. This was funded partly
by a $30,000 endowment given by Claire McGill Luce before her death and in
support of her ongoing goal of preserving Harney County History.
Who was she? Claire McGill was born at the foot of
Steen’s Mountain in Harney County in 1923. She moved with her parents as a child
but came back to Harney County to live with her grandfather after her parents’
divorce. She grew up to become an accomplished businesswoman and married Henry
Luce III, the publisher of Time and son of the famous founder of the Time-Life
publishing empire, Henry Luce, Jr. She was also the mother of William Hurt, the
actor. She died in 1971, at the early age of 47, while living in New York, but
is buried at Fort Harney Cemetery.
How do we pray for Harney County?
A
little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a great nation. I the Lord
will hasten it in his time. Isaiah 60:22
Pray for the commissioners: Judge Pete Runnels, Commissioners Patty Dorroh and Kristen Shelman.
Pray for the Sheriff’s Office and Sheriff Dan Jenkins
as well as SRO Tanner Bennett. Pray for the new Justice Center and jail facilities
being built.
Pray for the churches in Harney County and for “influencers” who come out of Outback areas. Clair McGill was only one girl growing up at the foot of Steen's Mountain, and yet her life touched multitudes through her own work as well as her husband’s and her son’s in media, film, and theater.
Comments
Post a Comment