Praying for Those in Authority: Malheur County
The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, And the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose; Isaiah 35:1
Rinehart Building, Vale, OR
Malheur County, also part of the Oregon Outback, is a large county geographically with a population of about 31,000. The county seat is Vale, although the largest town is Ontario. “Malheur” is French for misfortune or tragedy, which I thought was apt in my youth when I could not see much to recommend the wide-open spaces filled with heavily alkaline soil, sagebrush, and locust trees. It took a while for me to appreciate the subtle beauty of the high Oregon desert. Malheur County is 94% rangeland, according to their official website.
Malheur County is bordered by the Snake River, which
separates it from Idaho, and is touched by several Idaho counties, including Washington,
Payette, Canyon, and Owyhee to the east. Owyhee County, Idaho is also known for
its isolation and rugged features, as is Humboldt County, Nevada, to the south
of Malheur. This part of the country is some of the most isolated and rugged in
the country.
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| Malheur County, Oregon |
Vale, in the early Oregon Trail days, was famous for
being the first stop along the trail in Oregon, the first step into a new life, although they still had several hundred miles and a mountain range to cross. Many pioneers stopped to rest
and get cleaned up in the local hot springs there. There are still wagon ruts
visible through the sagebrush just outside the town of Vale. By 1864 a man,
Johnathan Keeney, built a cabin and barn to accommodate travelers. In 1872 the
cabin was replaced by the Rinehart House, which is still standing. The railroad
arriving in 1872 made it a shipping center, and soon a post office was
installed in the Rinehart House.
This structure, also called the Old Stone House, was a
26 by 40 feet two-story house, built of local sandstone and, of course, was the
first permanent building in what became the City of Vale. It is now on the
National Register of Historic Places.
The original Christian Church of Vale was also built
of sandstone around 1911, although the congregation existed much earlier. The
first congregation began about 1896 with thirteen members and a Sunday School
that met in the Oddfellows Hall.
In February of 2023, Malheur County Sheriff Brian Wolfe
announced he would be retiring in April. Undersheriff Travis Johnson has
been chosen to be Interim Sheriff. Keep both men in prayer, Sheriff Wolfe as he
transitions into retirement, and Sheriff Johnson as he assumes new duties. The
Sheriff’s Office is growing with new officers added recently as well as other
changes in staff. There are still some openings in Dispatch and the Jail, so
qualified people are welcome to apply.
Malheur County
is under the older County Judge system with a judge and two commissioners. The
County Judge is Dan Joyce; Ron Jacobs and Jim Mendiola are
the Commissioners. The Judge is full-time, the Commissioners are part-time. The
Judge serves for six years, an elected position, and the Commissioners are
elected to four-year terms.
The County Clerk has authority over elections, real
estate records, probate, marriage licenses, passports, and property tax
appeals. The current clerk is Gayle V. Trotter. While overseeing all
these areas is important to the recording of property and other legal
proceedings in the county, the authority over elections and the integrity of
that process has come to the forefront in recent days. Keep the County Clerk
and staff in prayer.
On a personal note, the Malheur County Clerk’s Office in Vale is where I went for my marriage license many years ago.
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