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...

Victorian house, Union, Oregon Give to the Lord the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come before Him. Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness . I Chronicles 16:29 We are in the heart of the six-county Northeast Region of Oregon. Union County is in the middle, west of Baker and Wallowa, and east of Umatilla, Grant, and Morrow. Once again, this is an area of beautiful country that attracts a lot of tourists and outdoor enthusiasts. La Grande is the county seat. The county has a population of 26,196 as of 2020. The town of Union, 15 miles southeast of LaGrande, was an early settlement and the first county seat, although that was later moved to LaGrande in the early twentieth century. It was built due to the mining boom in the mid-1800s and has retained much of its late-nineteenth-century charm, including a main street lined with ornate Victorian homes, many on the National Register of Historic Places. It is known as the “City of Victorian Heritage.” Union now has a po...

Oregon Trail, La Grande to Hilgard section For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land – a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills;  Deuteronomy 8:7 Union County is part of the Northeastern Region of Oregon, just to the east of Umatilla County. La Grande is the county seat. This is a beautiful, mountainous area of Oregon. It was once a big mining area, but the economy is now mostly based on ranching, farming, and logging. One new development has been wind energy. Near the town of North Powder, on the Pyles Canyon ridges, Elkhorn Valley Wind Farm was established in 2007. This contributes to the county economy in a number of ways including jobs and taxes. The Oregon Trail, which brought immigrants to the Oregon country from the 1840’s to the 1880’s, ran through Union County. A well-preserved section of the Oregon Trail has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The La Grande to Hilgard portion of the trail...

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 is in eastern Oregon, created from part of Baker County in 1864. LaGrande, population 13,000, is the county seat, although for awhile there was competition for that honor from the town of Union. The town of Union is a bit off the beaten path now, as I-84 takes you through LaGrande, but is about 15 miles away on OR 203. It was once a major transportation and shipping hub when the area was first settled. I’ve always liked LaGrande and the Grand Ronde Valley. It is a gorgeous and restful place to arrive after the long dry drive along the Columbia and then into the Blue Mountains. The Grand Ronde Valley is surrounded by the Blue Mountains and is 35 miles long and 15 miles wide. Drained by the Grand Ronde River, the valley was a summer gathering place for several Native American tribes including the Nez Perce,...