A Deeper Look: Malheur County

Jordan Valley Church, Malheur County, OR

May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels. Psalm 122:7 NIV

A very large county, Malheur lies in the extreme southeast corner of the state. This is the final county in our Oregon Outback region. Idaho is to the east, Nevada to the south. In size, it is second to Harney, with 9,926 square miles and a population of around 30,000. It still holds the distinction of having the worst crime rate in the state. Vale is the county seat with Ontario being the largest town.

I have fond memories of Malheur County. Since the time I was a college student there, being a border town has had both perks and problems for those on either side of the state line. Residents in Idaho could purchase goods across the river and not pay Idaho sales tax, for example. At one time the legal drinking age was lower in Idaho, as well as the qualifications to graduate high school. That has changed, but now another issue has raised its head.

Malheur County, OR

The passage of Measure 110, to decriminalize hard drugs in favor of offering treatment instead, seems to be creating a worse problem than underage Oregon kids slipping across the border for a drink. Ontario, of the towns in Malheur, has seen a significant increase in crime and homelessness the last few years. While the problems can be traced back before the passage of the measure, the law has not helped the situation any. Recently the Ontario City Council wrote a letter which was sent to the governor and released to the media stating Measure 110 has “disastrously impacted our community.” It is easy to see how a lack of serious penalty would attract those from outside the state who are addicted to hard drugs. “The community of Ontario believes that the experiment has been a catastrophic failure,” they wrote.

That concerns hard drugs. The area also has seen a huge increase in the sale of marijuana products in Malheur County, again due to being on the border with a state where marijuana is illegal. The county is currently considering an ordinance that would impose a tax on such products in the unincorporated parts of the county. Also, they are working on banning psilocybin manufacturing and service centers.

Brian Wolfe is the Malheur County Sheriff. Recently his office partnered with Vale Schools to hire a School Resource Officer for the Vale School district. They have worked a long time to get this program in place and this year Deputy Derrick Peasley is the SRO for Vale High, Middle, and Elementary Schools as well as Willowcreek School. The high priority will be the safety of students. He will be in the schools daily and will attend extracurricular activities. Members of the Sheriff’s Office also participate in the School Threat Assessment Team which also includes people from the DA’s office, social services, and schools. The team’s goal is to identify students who are at risk of getting into legal trouble or becoming violent, and intervening before that occurs.

Since SRO’s are hired on a local level and associated with local police, there is no official count, but it is believed between 14,000 and 20,000 such officers are in U.S. schools. In establishing an SRO program, the City of Vale and Malheur County are moving counter to the western portion of the state. Portland recently ended their SRO program, citing concerns about “systemic racism,” and Beaverton is considering following suit. Pray for these officers.

Vale originally was a stop on the Oregon Trail. You can still see the ruts made by the wagon trains a little outside the town. The original main street of Vale was the Oregon Trail. Travelers stopped to rest there, partly due to the proximity of hot springs. Hot springs, mineral springs and other geological features are common in this entire region. The pioneers took a break at Vale to wash clothes and take baths in local hot water springs, according to several sources. 

Vale didn’t start becoming a town until the 1860’s and only began to blossom after the county was established in 1888 and the town was chosen as the county seat. One congregation, Vale Christian Church was started in 1896 with a Sunday School that met in the Oddfellow’s hall. There were 13 charter members, and the congregation later built a church building. The church is still active. 

The county is governed by the old-fashioned County Court system with Dan Joyce the County Judge, and Ron Jacobs and Don Hodge the Commissioners.

How do we pray for Malheur County?

He grants peace to your borders and satisfies you with the finest of wheat. Psalm 147:14 NIV

Pray for the wisdom of the county commissioners: Judge Dan Joyce and Commissioners Ron Jacobs and Don Hodge.

Pray for the Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff Brian Wolfe and SRO Derrick Peasley.

Pray about the impact state laws have had on this county regarding drugs: the decriminalizing of hard drugs, legalization of marijuana, and the growing interest in psilocybin have created law enforcement headaches for the police and an unsafe environment for the citizens.