Standing in the Gap for Oregon

Grande Ronde River, Union County, OR For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of mountains and hills; Deuteronomy 8:7 Union County was originally part of Baker County, which was originally part of Wasco County, which was originally part of Clackamas County. It was formed in 1864 from part of Baker County with LaGrande as the county seat.  The northern end of the Grand Ronde Valley was the first part to be settled by white settlers. It was a peaceful place, a neutral place for the Native Americans to enjoy hunting and fishing and the hot springs and other features. The various tribes set aside differences while in the valley. Consequently, when the settlers began to arrive in the early 1860s, they did not experience much discord with the Native Americans. Union County is represented and governed by three  commissioners. The Union County Board of Commissioners is currently made up of Paul And...

Wallowa Mountains And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. Hebrews 4:13 Wallowa County – the extreme northeast corner of the state and known for its dramatic scenery. The county seat is Enterprise and Wallowa County is the fifth-least populated in the state. Read some past posts  here , here , and here . The three-person Board of Commissioners comprises  John Hillock , Susan Roberts , and Todd Nash. Wallowa County, Oregon Joel Fish was the County Sheriff since 2020 but left in 2023 to care for his elderly mother. The new Sheriff is long-time law enforcement officer Ryan Moody , who spent most of his career in Benton County, a county of over 90,000 plus home to OSU. Wallowa has about 7,500 residents and a small Sheriff’s Office, so there is something of a contrast. At his swearing-in in December, Sheriff Moody stated he hoped to keep the county as Sheriff Fish left it. Born in Lincoln ...

Sumpter Mining Dredge, Baker County, Oregon The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Psalm 23: 1-3 In the next few weeks, we will take a deeper look at the North East Region of Oregon which includes the Counties of Baker, Wallowa, Union, Grant, Umatilla, and Morrow. The North East corner is a very scenic portion of the state with mountains, deep lakes, as well as dry plateaus, and wide-open spaces as we move to the west. Baker, just north of Malheur, is the first county on the list, and a particularly beautiful one with a rich history.  Baker County has three County Commissioners: Shane Alderson is the Commission Chair, Bruce Nichols is in Position one, and Christina Witham  is in Position two. The County Sheriff is Travis Ash , who oversees over 3,000 square miles of rugged county with a population of 16,...

  The Pillars of Rome, Malheur County, OR The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, And the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose; Isaiah 35:1 Malheur, the second-largest county in the state, and populated at only three persons per square mile, has a mystique all its own. Ontario, situated along the Snake River which forms the Idaho Border, is the largest town. Vale, the county seat, is situated along the old Oregon Trail and was the first stop in Oregon Territory for the early immigrants. Vale has a population of around 2,000, and the entire county has about 30,000. Like a half-dozen other counties in Oregon, Malheur is under the County Judge system with Dan Joyce the County Judge and  Ron Jacobs and Jim Mendiola as Commissioners. The County Sheriff is Travis Johnson . The office is still short-staffed in all divisions, but there have been some new hires and they are working to bring in more staff. Equipment, such as body cameras and tasers, is also...