Standing in the Gap for Oregon

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,...

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...

Thus says the   Lord : “Stand in the ways and see,  and ask for the   old paths, where the good way   is,  and walk in it then you will find rest for your souls..." Jeremiah 6:16 Usually we focus a Spotlight on lesser-known or out-of-the-way communities in Oregon, but this time we want to look at Portland, the state’s largest metropolitan area, situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers.    If you google religion and Portland, you get numerous headlines declaring it the most unchurched and non-religious city in the country.    It was not always so.   A lot happened in the 1840’s. Settlers began coming to Oregon on the Oregon Trail, many farmers drawn by a PR campaign that promoted the rich, fertile land in the Willamette Valley. Some of those early settlers included Asa Lovejoy and Francis Pettygrove who are well known for flipping a coin in 1845 to determine the name of the town they were establishing on their 640 ...

Crater Lake You visit the earth and water it, You greatly enrich it; The river of God is full of water; You provide their grain, For so You have prepared it. You water its ridges abundantly.  You settle its furrows; You make it soft with showers, You bless its growth.   Psalms 65: 9-10   The county of Klamath, like Josephine County, is also along the southern border, touching California to the south, Jackson County to the west, Deschutes due north, Lake to the east and Lane and Douglas counties to the northwest. It was established in 1882 and named for the local Klamath Indians. The county has around 66,000 population with 20,000 of that in Klamath Falls, the county seat.   Klamath County contains beautiful country and includes Crater Lake and Crater Lake National Park, which was established in 1902 as the fifth national park in the United States.    Those who came to Oregon in the first wave of immigrants in 1843 and the years afterwards unt...

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 ...