On our drive to the Coast last Friday our first stop along the road was in the town of Creston which is in Lincoln County. We started in Stevens County crossing south into Spokane County and then headed east through Lincoln, Douglas, Chelan ending up in Snohomish County. We were happy to avoid King County. On our way home we altered our route starting in Snohomish county to Chelan the southern tip of Douglas, then through Grant, Lincoln, Spokane and Stevens County.
Along highway 2 in Creston we stopped at the Roadside Prayer Chapel.
I signed the visitor book.
Right next door to the chapel we saw buffalo grazing.
Here’s an article I found written about the chapel in the Spokesman Review from Spokane, Washington in 2008.
Deb Copenhaver is a legendary rodeo rider. Born and raised in Wilbur, Wash., his riding career took him to famous rodeos in Cheyenne, Calgary, Fort Worth and many other places during rodeo’s golden age of the 1950s.
In 1999, his lifelong achievement won him a spot in the Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame.
But Copenhaver’s faith is as important to him as his rodeo accolades, and it was to celebrate the former that he built a tiny roadside chapel on his ranch property just off U.S. Route 2 Highway 2 near Creston, Wash.
“God gave me a vision, gee, it’s been 10 years ago,” said Copenhaver, 83. “I always had that in the back of my mind. Then piece by piece God started putting it together.”
Copenhaver used cedar poles from a Bonneville Power Administration transmission line, obtained when BPA replaced them with steel towers.
The small log structure is reminiscent of a one-room schoolhouse, with its plank floors and rows of handmade benches – look carefully and you can still find a little sawdust in the corners.
A beautiful mosaic captures the light in a tall window over the rustic wooden cross on the back wall.
Where the altar would be sits a bookstand with a guestbook. Travelers from as far away as Whitefish, Mont., have signed their names.
He dedicated it in September during an annual Christian cowboy camp at his place.
“It’s just there for people to stop by,” Copenhaver said. “Everyone is welcome to come and lay your burdens at the altar and be refreshed.”
Hope you all have a great last full day of Spring and that you can lay your burdens down and be refreshed!
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 
…I love the chapel and the see buffalo, what a delight.
The prayer chapel is beautiful. This has made my day, thank you.
What a great idea God gave him and he followed through. I would imagine that many have left some cares and concerns behind. I really like the statuary. Isn’t it crazy to live in a world where we must make wide arcs around places in our own state. In my case, that place is just ten miles away and, believe me, I jump hoops to make wide arcs around it.
🍉v
So beautiful and a great reminder of how many we need to pray
That should be how much we need to pray
I enjoyed this post Ellen, thank you.
What a lovely chapel.
The Chaple is beautiful. There are a few over here too. I remember Deb and glad he did what he did.
MB
Mary Beth, that’s cool that you knew of Deb. Thanks for stopping by.