Praying for Those in Authority: Harney County

Mud Lake, Harney County, Oregon
Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, James 2:1

Harney County, the largest by size in the state and the 6th smallest by population, is part of the Oregon Outback. Home to Steens Mountain, The Alvord Dessert, and the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, it is a vast place (over 10,000 square miles) populated by 7500 people, 60% of them living in the Burns-Hines area. The rest are scattered throughout the county on about 500 ranches and farms. Burns is the county seat.

Those ranches and farms produce cattle, dairy products, and hay. This is one of those counties where it’s literally true the cattle outnumber the people. With the wide-open spaces and high desert climate, it is an important place ecologically and for recreation. It is home to the largest Ponderosa Pine Forest in the nation.

Burns annually hosts the John Scharff Migratory Bird Festival and Art Show in April during the annual spring migration of birds through the Harney Basin wetlands. Attendees regularly see Pelicans, ducks, and raptors traveling their traditional migratory route. Burns also hosts the Country Music Jamboree sponsored by the High Desert Fiddlers in June, and the Harney County Fair in September.

Harney County, OR
One of the fascinating features of Harney County is the Alvord Desert, a seven-by-twelve-mile dry lakebed just south of Steens Mountain. Used by racers and windsurfers, it gets about seven inches of rain per year.

Harney County School District #3 includes Burns High School which also serves students from Hines. Established in 1904, it has seen a lot of changes over the years. Sometime in mid-century the mascot became the Scottish Hilander and they have continued to follow a Scottish theme for their school. District #3 includes Henry L. Slater Grade School and Hines Middle School as well as the high school.

The First Presbyterian Church of Burns was organized 1896. Rev. David H. Jones was the first pastor. The first building was purchased from the Methodists, so we assume that denomination also had an early presence in Burns. In 1943 the name changed to Pioneer Presbyterian Church and the congregation is still flourishing.

The county is governed by the county court system with a judge and two commissioners. Currently they are Judge Bill Hart, Commissioner Patty Dorroh, Commissioner Kristen Shelman.

Sheriff Dan Jenkins oversees 10, 228 square miles of high desert. The office has an internship program and recently set up a gym for county employees.

The Burns Paiute Tribe reservation is just outside of Burns to the north. There are about 210 tribe members. The Paiute Tribe Tribal Council Chair is Diane Teeman.

The City of Burns Administrator is Nancy Gardner, the Mayor is Jerry Woodfin.  

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 River. The county isn’t all Portland, however. The eastern por
Read more

Continue to Stand in the Gap: Curry County

Image
Curry County, Oregon coastline The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.  Psalm 92: 12-13 Curry County is in the extreme southwest corner of Oregon, bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the west, and California to the south. We’ve written about historic shipwrecks and the unique crops grown in the county here , here , and here . Brookings, with 6,744 population, is the largest town, while Gold Beach, with 2,241, is the county seat. Port Orford, at around 1,133 is the other incorporated town in Curry County. The County Commissioners consist of a three-person Board that meets regularly in Gold Beach. The current commissioners are John Herzog , chair; Brad Alcorn , and Jay Trost . The County Sheriff is John Ward . His office has been busy, the county dealing with wildfires during the summer besides their usual duties. In addition to being understaffed, the
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  MikesPhotos  from  Pixabay   I don’t mean we
Read more