Standing in the Gap for Oregon

Church on Warm Springs Reservation Those who go out weeping, carry seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them . Psalm 126:6 NIV In my own subjective and personal division of Oregon into regions, I placed Jefferson, Wheeler, Deschutes, and Crook Counties in the Central Region of Oregon. There is some debate on what area constitutes Central Oregon, but most agree Jefferson, Deschutes and Crook make up the core. Some add neighboring counties as well, as I have with Wheeler. This is high, dry, pine tree country, a semi-arid area sitting in the rain shadow of the Cascade Mountains to the west; the smaller Ochoco Mountains bounding it on the east. Central Oregon has become a tourist destination for those wanting to camp, ride horseback, rockhound or just fish, hike, and picnic.  Lumber and ranching are other major economic sources. Central Oregon Region Peter Skene Ogden, of the Hudson’s Bay Company, is credited with being the first European to lead a grou...