Praying for Those in Authority: Clatsop County

Flavel House, Astoria, OR

Let them give glory to the Lord, and declare His praise in the coastlands. Isaiah 42:12

Clatsop County is in the top northwestern corner of the state, bordered by the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean. It is home to the oldest American settlement in the Northwest, Astoria, founded by trappers sent out by John Jacob Astor in 1811. Before that, just a bit south, the Lewis can Clark Expedition spent the winter of 1905-6 at Fort Clatsop. You can still visit a replica on the site. Astoria is the county seat, and the county was created in 1844 from a portion of one of the original four districts, Twality.

Clatsop County, OR
An early settler in Astoria, and one credited with creating modern Astoria, was Captain George Flavel. Born, it is believed, in Ireland, he first caught sight of the little village of Astoria in 1849 when he was shipping supplies during the gold rush. He had sailed around the Horn as a young man from New Jersey to make his fortune in the west. In 1851 he relocated to Astoria and became a licensed marine pilot for Oregon. He saw an opportunity in the dreaded Columbia River Bar that had a well-deserved reputation for wrecking ships and began a business of piloting ships through the dangerous waters. Since he was one of the few in Oregon with a mariner’s license, he and his partners made a fortune on piloting and ship tours on the Columbia River. They had a virtual monopoly. He was one of the first millionaires in Oregon.

He was known as a fearless man, of good character and an astute businessman.

In 1886 he used some of his fortune to build Flavel House, an 11,600 square foot Queen Anne-style mansion in Astoria. It takes up an entire city block. In 1934 a great-granddaughter donated the building to the city. It is currently a museum and one of the must-see places in Astoria.

Captain Flavel had other enterprises, including owning a wharf and serving as president of the First National Bank of Astoria.

Something not mentioned much is that he also donated land to the First Presbyterian Church of Astoria. His wife and daughters were members of the congregation. This church has been in existence for 140 years and has been at its present location for 103 on the land Captain Flavel donated. Currently the church is home to several community outreach services including the Astoria Conservatory of Music, Reach the Stars dance studio, Second Saturday Flea Market, and the Clatsop Food Pantry. They hold worship services at 10 a.m. on Sunday.

The County is governed by a five-member Board of Commissioners, elected for four year terms. Current Commissioners are Mark Kujala, Courtney Bangs, John Toyooka, Pamela Wey, and Lianne Thompson.

Matthew D. Phillips is the County Sheriff, who oversees the 1,085 square miles of mostly rural county. The population is 39,764. He has more than 80 law enforcement and administrative staff in his office.

There is a growing need in Clatsop County for affordable housing, especially along the coastal areas. Pray for the county officials and commissioners as they seek solutions that address the problems.

Pray for all the churches of Clatsop County. Early accounts indicate "church spires" were visible in the village of Astoria in 1849, when the population was just a few houses. Currently, Cannon Beach is known for the Cannon Beach Conference Center, which hosts numerous Christian events through the year. 

 

 

 

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