Standing in the Gap for Oregon

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,...

Open your mouth for the speechless, in the cause of all who are appointed to die. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy. Proverbs 31: 8-9 Jackson County shares a lot of the history of Josephine County just to the west, having been settled due to the gold strikes of 1851-2. Medford is now the county seat of Jackson County, made so when the Oregon and California Railroad made the decision to go through Medford, about five miles to the east, rather than Jacksonville, in 1884. Jacksonville, originally Table Rock City, was the site of the first gold strikes in the area and became the main financial center of southern Oregon until the railroad changed things. It is one of the oldest settlements in the state. The town, while not a ghost town (current population about 3,000), has been well preserved. In 1966 it was made a National Historic District with 100 buildings in the central part of town included. Jacksonville saw a number of firsts, including...

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...

  But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed . Isaiah 53:5 Thoughts are turning to the 2022 elections in Oregon. The candidate lists are still being determined, but the primary is May 17 th , a date to keep in prayer. The election itself is November 8 th . The spotlight is on the governor’s race, but there are other positions open that are nearly as crucial to the future as the governor’s race. I tend to think of Multnomah as synonymous with the City of Portland, but of course there is a bit of country to the east of Portland that is outside the city limits and more rural. Troutdale, Wood Village, and Gresham as well as smaller, unincorporated communities are in Multnomah County. Portland is the county seat. We wrote earlier about Multnomah County and Portland . Multnomah is the smallest county in the state at 433 square miles, and the largest by population. It’...

Painted Hills, Oregon For who is God, except the Lord? And who is a rock, expect our God? Psalm 18:31 Known as a “Geologic Wonderland,” Wheeler County is the least populated county in the state with only about 1500 residents. Three hours from Portland, in North Central Oregon, it is a popular tourist destination famous for the John Day Fossil Bed National Monument, the John Day River and two National Forests: the Ochoco and the Umatilla. About one-third of the county is BLM land. Wheeler County was created in 1899 from parts of Grant, Gilliam and Crook Counties. It’s three main communities are Mitchell, Spray, and Fossil, the county seat. The economy is based on tourism - which includes fossil digging, fishing, rafting, hiking, camping, photography and winter sports in the mountains - and ranching. From 1928 until 1978 the Kinzua Pine Mills Company which later became the Eastern Oregon Logging Company, was a major employer in the county. When it closed in 1978 the county populatio...

Coos Bay boats And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.  They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters;  These see the works of the   Lord , and his wonders in the de ep.                          Psalm 107: 22-24 Oddly, I don't think I've been to Coos County. It lies spread along the southern Oregon coast. In 1853 the Oregon Territorial government sectioned off the western parts of Umpqua and Jackson counties to create Coos. Empire City, now part of the town of Coos Bay, was the first county seat, but later the citizens voted to move it to Coquille (named after the local Native American tribe, pronounced  Ko-quell), population currently around 4,000.    Like counties surrounding it, Coos County is heavily forested. Agriculture, commercial fishing and timber products are the main economic activities in Coos County. Du...

  Lincoln City, Oregon My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.  Isaiah 32:18   As you travel south down the Oregon coast, Lincoln County is next in line after Tillamook. It was created from western sections of Benton and Polk Counties, but later than Tillamook - not until 1893. Named after Abraham Lincoln, the county seat for many years was Toledo. In 1954, however, it lost the election to Newport which has been the county seat since.   Both Newport and Lincoln City are popular places to vacation, with the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport, and museums, shopping and seafood in both towns. While my coast trips as a child centered around Tillamook and Pacific City, as an adult I have gravitated more toward Lincoln City and Newport. We have often visited there either on family trips or with friends.   In 2017 my daughter and I went to Lincoln City and on one of our excursions visited Toledo, just a few miles a...

  Hayden Island, Portland, OR …. nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.  And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. I Corinthians 6: 10-11   Prohibition was passed in Oregon in 1914, and took effect in 1916, four years before it went into effect nationally in 1920. The Christian Women’s Temperance Union and the Anti-Saloon League were campaigning for the banning of alcohol from the late 1800’s through the early years of the 20 th century. Those in favor of prohibition saw it as a solution to the problem of men who spent their time – and money – in taverns, instead of supporting their wives and children. Alcohol consumption contributed to domestic violence, child abuse and other social ills. By banning this evil, those promoting prohibition believed it would free those affected from the debilitating effects ...

Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much .  James 5:16   At the beginning of the twentieth century terms such as “most dangerous port,” (in the west, the country, the world) were used about Portland, as well as “wide open.” The police customarily fined illicit businesses such as gambling houses, brothels, and opium dens, but otherwise left them alone.   However, there were other forces at work in Portland in the early years of the twentieth century. We can touch on some of them.   The Lewis and Clark Centennial and American Pacific Exposition and Oriental Fair, which had been in the planning stages for several years, took place June 1 to October 15 th of 1905. The city merchants and the state government had cooperated to produce what amounted to a world’s fair to showcase Oregon. The preparation for this event improved the infrastructure of the city and boost...