Continue to Stand in the Gap: Tillamook County

Cloverdale Church, Tillamook County, OR
And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places. Isaiah 32:18

Tillamook County, just south of Clatsop, is a continuation of the romance and mystery of Oregon’s north coast. It is believed to be one of the first places Sir Francis Drake set foot on the West Coast, and there are fascinating stories of buried treasure and shipwrecks from the 1600s.

Neahkahnie Mountain, a headland between the counties of Clatsop and Tillamook, was considered a sacred place by the Tillamook Indians. There have long been rumors of treasure buried there by Spanish sailors, as well as a shipwreck that left huge amounts of beeswax and pottery along the beach just south of the headland. It wasn’t just the Spanish who washed up at the foot of the sacred mountain – Japanese junks and sailors are also rumored to have landed there.

Tillamook County, OR
Modern-day Tillamook County offers lush rural farms and communities, a thriving tourist industry along the coast as well as recreation in the mountains inland. Fishing and all things related to the sea are also major industries. The county is well known for its dairy farms and the Tillamook Cheese Factory.  Read more here, here, and here.

The county seat is the city of Tillamook.

The Tillamook Board of County Commissioners is made up of Erin Skaar, Mary Faith Bell, and Doug Olson, but the recent election has changed the Board. The primary election on May 21st put Paul Fournier, a former Tillamook County sheriff deputy, in as commissioner #2, the position held temporarily by Doug Olson since the end of 2023. It appears Erin Skaar will remain a commissioner, although results won’t be final for a few weeks.

The Tillamook County Sheriff is Joshua Brown. While some crimes in Tillamook County are on the increase (violence, homelessness) and getting qualified officers is still a challenge in Tillamook County, as well as elsewhere, the Sheriff’s Office has hired three new employees in February and another two in March. Additionally, two new patrol deputies will be graduating from the police academy soon. Pray for the sheriff's office and for the police department in the city of Tillamook.

This winter Tillamook County declared a state of emergency when severe flooding caused roads to  collapse and other issues. Pray as cleanup and repair continue this summer.

It isn’t hard to find a church in Tillamook, either the county or the city. The various groups include Baptists, Methodists, Catholic, Pentecostal and Assembly of God, and Lutheran, as well as non-denominational groups. Pray for the churches of Tillamook County. 

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

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

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