2
JOURNEY
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, July 27, 2022
SEEING GHOSTS
Justin Davis/Blue Mountain Eagle
S249858-1
The swings and playground at the Fox School stand empty in this image from Thursday, July 14, 2022.
•Homemade Desserts
•Hand Breaded Fish &
Prawns
•Fresh Painted Hills Beef
•Hard Ice Cream Milkshakes 212 W. Franklin Avenue • 541-987-2122
Thurs. - Sun. 7am-3pm
A visit to the Grant
County ghost towns of
Fox and Austin provides
a glimpse of bygone times
By JUSTIN DAVIS
Blue Mountain Eagle
128887
DUKE WARNER
REALTY
2 Acres Close To
Canyon City! Fabulous
Views, Graveled
Driveway, Cement Slab
Wired For Radiant Heat,
Large Rock Outcropping,
Shared Spring, Close To
City Sewer. $87,000
MF Home On 4.5 Acres!
Nice Country Setting,
3/2, Garage, Pond, Yr Rd
Creek. $365,000
Family Style Home
On 1 Acre! Canyon Mt
Views, 5/3, Landscaped,
Fenced, 2 Storage
Sheds. $339,000
Beautiful Log Home
On 12 Acres! Mt Views,
2 Story w/Daylight
Basement, 4/2.5, Fenced,
Landscaped, 3 Bay
Garage, Greenhouse,
Irrigated. CC $585,000
DP Home Entertainment!
Be Your Own Boss,
Turn-Key, Excellent
Cash Flow. $75,000
40 Acres Near
Strawberry Mt
Wilderness Trail Head!
Views, Some Timber,
Septic, Close To Power.
$120,000
320 Acres Up Shop
Gulch! Fabulous Mt &
Valley Views, Partially
Fenced, Tiny Cabin w/
Upgrades, LOP Tags.
MTV $230,000
Dayville Café! Prime
Opportunity To Be Your
Own Boss, Superb
Location. $259,000
Grant County Building
Supply! Large Fenced
Retail Area, Inventory
Included. $450,000
FOX — Webster’s Dictio-
nary defi nes a ghost town as “a
once-fl ourishing town wholly
or nearly deserted, usually as
the result of the exhaustion of
some natural resource.”
The Grant County ghost
towns of Fox and Austin were
both once thriving communi-
ties that saw drastic and expe-
dited reductions in population
due to several factors. These
days, both Fox and Austin
have fewer than fi ve inhabi-
tants each.
Austin was once a lumber,
sheep, cattle and mining town.
Nowadays you can still see
cattle if you head to Austin,
but any evidence of current
mining, lumber and sheep pro-
duction is now nonexistent.
On the way you’ll see
the Austin House, which
is the only remaining busi-
ness establishment left bear-
ing Austin’s name. The busi-
ness is currently closed, but
new owners are renovating the
building with hopes of reopen-
ing this summer.
The town had a post offi ce
that was established in 1888
and remained in operation
Enjoy a remarkable
range of handcrafted
beers, baked goods
and food.
Find us on
Facebook and
Instagram
or our website
1188brewing.com
Open for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner • 141 E Main St., John Day • 541-575-1188
PARKS MAIN OFFICE
Outdoor seating available.
GETTING THERE
To get to Austin, head
east on U.S. Highway
26 from Prairie City and
continue for 28 miles.
Turn left on Oregon 7
North just past the Aus-
tin House, and continue
for 1.9 miles. Make a
slight left on County
Road 20A and continue
to follow the road for
just over a half-mile.
To fi nd Fox, take U.S.
Highway 26 to Mount
Vernon. Turn north on
US 395 North/Mountain
Boulevard and continue
to follow US 395 for 22
miles.
until 1950, according to the
2003 edition of “Oregon Geo-
graphic Names.” Once a sta-
tion on the Sumpter Valley
Railway, Austin saw its popu-
lation decrease sharply follow-
ing the decline of the railway.
Now all that is left of Aus-
tin are a few residences lining
a single street and rounding
a cul de sac. Austin currently
has three full-time residents
and a sparse number of part-
time residents.
The community of Fox
is an unincorporated town
located along U.S. Route 395
just south of Long Creek. Fox
was named after Fox Creek, a
nearby tributary of the North
Fork John Day River. The
tributary takes its name from
an incident involving a fox
during a hunting or prospect-
ing trip, according to “Oregon
Geographic Names.”
Fox still has several
unused buildings that serve
as a reminder that the town
was once a more bustling and
thriving community than what
See Ghosts, Page 3
Fun For Everyone!
Reservations • Comments • Questions
365 W. Highway 74 • PO Box 428
Lexington, OR 97839
Email: mcparks@co.morrow.or.us
Reservations: 541-989-8214
Main Office: 541-989-9500
ANSON WRIGHT PARK
CAMPGROUND
CUTSFORTH PARK
CAMPGROUND
47500 Hwy 207 - Spray-Heppner
Heppner, OR 97836
58430 Willow Creek Rd
Heppner, OR 97836
Reservations: 541-989-8214
MORROW COUNTY OHV PARK CAMPGROUND
S229154-1
71000 E. Morphine Ln, aka 71000 FS Rd 21
Heppner, OR 97836
Reservations: 541-989-8214
www.morrowcountyparks.com
39967
Lake Creek Youth Camp is a
non-profit organization operating in the
Malheur National Forest in beautiful
Logan Valley, east of Seneca, Oregon
Grubsteak Mining Co.
• weddings • company retreats
• family reunions • events
Prime Rib • Steaks • Hamburgers
Open 7 Days a Week
11AM-9PM
541-575-4031
FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK
LAKECREEKCAMP@YAHOO.COM
WWW.LAKECREEKCAMP.COM
RESTAURANT & LOUNGE
Family Owned
Since 1980
Take-Out • Lunch • Dinner
The oldest established restaurant in Grant County
149 E. Main St., John Day • 541-575-1970
