Austin, Oregon
Encyclopedia
Austin is an unincorporated community
, considered a ghost town
, in Grant County
, Oregon
, United States
. It is located north of Oregon Route 7, near the Middle Fork John Day River
in the Malheur National Forest
.
station by a Mr. Newton. Austin post office was established in 1888 and closed in 1950.
The tracks of the Sumpter Valley Railway
reached Austin in 1905. The railway was built by Oregon Lumber Company and Austin became an important railroad logging
community.
Austin was the hub of the area until Bates
, a company town of the Oregon Lumber Company, was built one mile to the west. Austin was also a supply depot for local mining towns, including Susanville
and Galena
. Austin sawmill
s supplied lumber for places such as Greenhorn
and the Bonanza Mine, higher up in the Blue Mountains
. At its height, the population was about 500 (some estimates say it was high as 5000) and the community had three sawmills. The town also had a substantial jail and the offices of several doctors, lawyers and real estate operators. As the neighboring mining towns disappeared, however, Austin also went into decline.
By 1997, a newer business called Austin House was the only business remaining in the Austin area, at Austin Junction
where Oregon Route 7 meets U.S. Route 26
. Built in 1959, the business is about 2½ miles from the original site of Austin and serves as a combination tavern, grocery store, restaurant and gas station. As of 2002, fewer than 35 people lived within a five-mile radius of Austin.
44.6026558°N 118.4966112°W
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
, considered a ghost town
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
, in Grant County
Grant County, Oregon
Grant County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is included in the 8 county definition of Eastern Oregon. In 2010, its population was 7,445. It is named for President Ulysses S. Grant, who served as an army officer in the Oregon Territory, and at the time of the county's creation...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is located north of Oregon Route 7, near the Middle Fork John Day River
Middle Fork John Day River
The Middle Fork John Day River is a tributary of the North Fork John Day River in the U.S. state of Oregon. It originates in the Blue Mountains of northeast Oregon in the Malheur National Forest near Austin and flows generally west to the North Fork about above Monument...
in the Malheur National Forest
Malheur National Forest
The Malheur National Forest is a National Forest in the U.S. state of Oregon. It contains 1.7 million acres in the Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon. The forest include high desert grasslands, sage, juniper, pine, fir, and other tree species. Elevations vary from about 4000 feet to the 9038...
.
History
Austin was named for Minot and Linda Austin, early settlers of the area. The Austins operated a small store and hotel, Austin House. Austin House was started as a hotel and stagecoachStagecoach
A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers...
station by a Mr. Newton. Austin post office was established in 1888 and closed in 1950.
The tracks of the Sumpter Valley Railway
Sumpter Valley Railway
The Sumpter Valley Railway is a heritage railroad located in Baker County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. Built on a right-of-way used by the original railway of the same name, it carries excursion trains on a roughly route between McEwen and Sumpter. The railroad has two steam locomotives and...
reached Austin in 1905. The railway was built by Oregon Lumber Company and Austin became an important railroad logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
community.
Austin was the hub of the area until Bates
Bates, Oregon
Bates is an unincorporated community in Grant County, Oregon, United States. Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office with a ZIP code of 97817.Bates was a lumber mill town until 1975 with a population of up to 400. Bates State Park opened in 2011....
, a company town of the Oregon Lumber Company, was built one mile to the west. Austin was also a supply depot for local mining towns, including Susanville
Susanville, Oregon
Susanville is an unincorporated community in Grant County, Oregon, United States, in the Blue Mountains about two miles up Elk Creek from Galena. The place was started as a gold mining camp in 1862 or 1864 and is now considered a ghost town.-History:...
and Galena
Galena, Oregon
Galena is an unincorporated community in Grant County, Oregon, United States, about 20 miles from Austin Junction in the Blue Mountains. It is on the Middle Fork John Day River on the border of the Wallowa–Whitman and Malheur National Forests...
. Austin sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
s supplied lumber for places such as Greenhorn
Greenhorn, Oregon
Greenhorn is a small city in Baker and Grant Counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. It straddles the Blue Mountain ridge, so that it is located in both Grant County and Baker County...
and the Bonanza Mine, higher up in the Blue Mountains
Blue Mountains (Oregon)
The Blue Mountains are a mountain range in the western United States, located largely in northeastern Oregon and stretching into southeastern Washington...
. At its height, the population was about 500 (some estimates say it was high as 5000) and the community had three sawmills. The town also had a substantial jail and the offices of several doctors, lawyers and real estate operators. As the neighboring mining towns disappeared, however, Austin also went into decline.
By 1997, a newer business called Austin House was the only business remaining in the Austin area, at Austin Junction
Austin Junction, Oregon
Austin Junction is an unincorporated locale in Grant County, Oregon, United States. It is at the intersection of U.S. Route 26 and Oregon Route 7, about 2.5 miles south of Austin in the Wallowa–Whitman National Forest. The Austin House, a combination café, grocery store, gas station and tavern at...
where Oregon Route 7 meets U.S. Route 26
U.S. Route 26 in Oregon
In the U.S. state of Oregon, U.S. Route 26 is a major cross-state state highway, connecting U.S. Route 101 on the Oregon Coast near Seaside with the Idaho state line east of Nyssa. Local highway names include the Sunset Highway No. 47, Mount Hood Highway No. 26, and John Day Highway No...
. Built in 1959, the business is about 2½ miles from the original site of Austin and serves as a combination tavern, grocery store, restaurant and gas station. As of 2002, fewer than 35 people lived within a five-mile radius of Austin.
External links
- Historic image of Austin from the Oregon State LibraryOregon State LibraryThe Oregon State Library in Salem, is the library for the U.S. state of Oregon. The mission of the Oregon State Library is to provide quality information services to Oregon state government, provide reading materials to blind and print-disabled Oregonians, and provide leadership, grants, and other...
- Modern image of Austin House from the Oregon State ArchivesOregon State ArchivesThe Archives Division of the Office of the Secretary of State of Oregon, or Oregon State Archives, is an agency of the Office of the Oregon Secretary of State charged with preserving and providing access to government records. It also publishes the Oregon Blue Book and Oregon Administrative Rules...
- Images of Austin from ghosttowns.com
- History of Austin and Bates from Austin House Cafe & Country Store
- Grant County, Oregon biographies from oregongenealogy.com, including biography of Minot Austin
44.6026558°N 118.4966112°W