Praying for Those in Authority: Benton County
The heart of the prudent acquires
knowledge, And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge. Proverbs
18:15
Mary's Peak, Benton County, OR
Benton County, just south of Polk, is bordered on the
east by Linn and on the west by Lincoln. It was named after Senator Thomas Hart
Benton, a supporter of Manifest Destiny and the belief that the Oregon Country
should be part of the United States.
One might believe that nearly everyone in those days
thought Oregon should be part of the United States, and that the country should
go from “sea to shining sea.” It is hard to imagine otherwise, now. However,
there were numerous thoughtful men who thought the Northwest should be its own
country, or a colony of the United States that could become its own independent
country, or that the border of the U.S. should just naturally stop at the Rocky
Mountains. Some very determined individuals, like Benton, tipped the balance to
create the country we have.
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| Benton County, Oregon |
Benton County also contains the town of Philomath, Greek
for “a love of learning.” Philomath College was opened there by early pioneers
in 1867. In the early days of Benton County, newly formed congregations of various
denominations were ministered to by circuit riders who traveled long distances,
crossing county lines. Philip Mulkey was a circuit rider whose circuit included
Benton County, although he lived in Lane County. Another frequent speaker at
local churches such as one in Summit, where a church was established in 1877, and
Philomath in 1856 when it was still called “Mary’s River,” was “Brother" Waller, a circuit rider from Polk County.
Hugh McNary “Mac” Waller was a very successful
Christian Church minister from Illinois. Born there in 1817, he was preaching around
Pittsfield, Illinois during his twenties converting hundreds, if not thousands, in the area.
He became ill when he was thirty in 1847 but elected to join a wagon train to
Oregon with a group of fellow church members. He had to be carried to the wagon
to begin the journey, but the trip restored his health. In this group traveling
the Oregon trail he encountered fifteen-year-old Mary Davidson who was
traveling with her parents in the wagon train. He would marry her three years
later in Oregon. He and many of his family settled in Polk and Yamhill Counties
over the next few years, and he became a well-known circuit rider, one of the better-known
ministers in Oregon at that time, famous for his ability to win souls. He was,
it is said, a quiet, unassuming man, who was transformed when he stepped behind
the pulpit. He and his fellow circuit riders planted churches all over the
Willamette Valley. He is credited with over 7,000 converts in sparsely settled
early Oregon. He died in 1893 at the age of 76. While not specifically from Benton County, he
had an influence on it building up churches in the early settlements of Benton
and being a frequent, and popular, guest speaker.
Nine Oregon counties have “home-rule” charters, which
give the citizens more control. Voters decide which county positions are
elected. In Benton County, one of the nine home-rule counties, the
commissioners and the sheriff are elected, the three commissioners for four-year
terms. Currently they are Xan Augerot, Pat Malone, and Nancy Wyse.
Jef Van Arsdall
is the Benton County Sheriff. He has recently increased patrols in the county
to target speeding, and impaired or distracted driving, in an effort to reduce the
rising number of traffic fatalities. The Benton County Sheriff's Office participated in their first
ever Faith & Blue event, in their case, a blood drive in conjunction with the
Northwest Hills Community Church in Corvallis. Faith & Blue events seek to
strengthen community relationships by pairing law enforcement and local
faith-based organizations. It is a program of MovementForward, a civil rights
organization out of Atlanta, Georgia.
Other county officials include District Attorney John
M. Haroldson; Assessor Tami Tracy; Clerk James Morales.
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