Standing in the Gap for Oregon

The wilderness and the dry land will be glad; the desert will rejoice and blossom like a rose.  Isaiah 35:1   We have covered ten of the thirty-six Oregon counties in our blog so far. This week we are looking at the county just to the west of Wallowa and Union Counties in the northeastern section of the state.     Umatilla County was established in 1862 out of part of Wasco County. Its northern border is the Columbia River. Like many places in Oregon, it was gold that first drew pioneers to the area who then realized the country was a good place to raise cattle. By 1868 the town of Pendleton had become the county seat and remains so. In 1881 the arrival of the railroad made dryland wheat farming practical. Other types of agriculture were limited, however, in an area that grew sagebrush best until the Umatilla Irrigation Project was established early in the 20 th  century. Then "the desert bloomed" and the economy began to grow, especially in the western section ...

Image by  272447  from  Pixabay   I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.  I Timothy 2: 1-2 What is on your prayer list for Oregon? We are instructed in I Timothy to pray for our leaders. Many are praying for the 2020 election, our economy, and an end to the covid-19 virus - all vital concerns.   One way to organize a prayer list is to pray over the state county by county. If I do the easy thing and just start where I am, I begin with Clackamas county. Actually, this might be a good choice since Clackamas is one of the original four counties established by the Provisional Legislature on July 5, 1843. We are going deep here and touching the foundation of Oregon as a territory and state. At that time Clackamas county was huge and covered...