Austin was named for Minot and Linda Austin, early settlers of the area.[3][4] The Austins operated a small store and hotel, Austin House. Austin House was started as a hotel and stagecoach station by a Mr. Newton.[2] Austin post office was established in 1888 and closed in 1950.[3]
The tracks of the Sumpter Valley Railway reached Austin in 1905.[4] The railway was built by Oregon Lumber Company and Austin became an important railroad logging community.[5]
Austin was the hub of the area until Bates, a company town of the Oregon Lumber Company,[4] was built 1 mile (1.6 km) to the west.[5] Austin was also a supply depot for local mining towns, including Susanville and Galena. Austin sawmills supplied lumber for places such as Greenhorn and the Bonanza Mine, higher up in the Blue Mountains.[2] At its height, the population was about 500 (some estimates say it was high as 5,000)[2] and the community had three sawmills.[1][2] The town also had a substantial jail and the offices of several doctors, lawyers and real estate operators.[2] As the neighboring mining towns disappeared, however, Austin also went into decline.[2]
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,[6] the business is about 2.5 miles (4.0 km) from the original site of Austin and serves as a combination tavern, grocery store, restaurant and gas station.[3] As of 2002, fewer than 35 people lived within a 5-mile (8.0 km) radius of Austin.[5]
Climate
Climate data for Austin, Oregon, 1991–2020 normals, 1912-2020 extremes: 4213ft (1284m)
