Standing in the Gap for Oregon

  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...

Rinehart Building, Vale, 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 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,...

Jordan Valley Church, Malheur County, OR May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels. Psalm 122:7 NIV A very large county, Malheur lies in the extreme southeast corner of the state. This is the final county in our Oregon Outback region. Idaho is to the east, Nevada to the south. In size, it is second to Harney, with 9,926 square miles and a population of around 30,000. It still holds the distinction of having the worst crime rate in the state. Vale is the county seat with Ontario being the largest town. I have fond memories of Malheur County. Since the time I was a college student there, being a border town has had both perks and problems for those on either side of the state line. Residents in Idaho could purchase goods across the river and not pay Idaho sales tax, for example. At one time the legal drinking age was lower in Idaho, as well as the qualifications to graduate high school. That has changed, but now another issue has raised its head. Malheur...

Ontario, OR park The   stranger  who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were  stranger s  in   the   land  of Egypt: I  am   the   Lord  your God .  Leviticus 19:34   We briefly mentioned the eastern Oregon town of Ontario when we wrote about Malheur County. Today I want to delve into the history a little more, and to honor one long-term resident, my mother-in-law Ila Mae Mills, who passed away August 13 th  at the age of 97.   Ontario is a town with which I am familiar. My grandparents lived there for many years, from the 1940’s until the 1970’s. My parents were married there, as was I. My in-laws lived in Ontario from 1948 on. My father-in-law, a local bookkeeper, passed away in 2013 at the age of 95.    Ontario is the largest town in the far eastern portion of Oregon and sits right up against the Snake River and the border with Idaho. P...

Malheur Butte, Malheur County Oregon The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, And the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose ;  Isaiah 35:1 The story goes, in 1826 a trapper left a cache of furs beside a nameless river in the high desert of the far west and someone stole it, so he named the river “misfortune” in French: Malheur. Later, they named the county after the river.  Malheur, established much later than the counties of the Willamette Valley, was created in 1887 from the southern part of Baker County. It is in the extreme southeast corner of the state and borders the state of Nevada to the south and Idaho to the east. At nearly 10,000 square miles it is the second largest county in the state, but only has about three people per square mile. It has the distinction of being the county with the highest poverty rate in Oregon. The county seat is Vale; the largest town is Ontario. And yes, I have a personal con...