Obituary from the Blue Mountain Eagle
Canyon City, Oregon - 18 Oct 1940
Pioneer who Made Austin Famous Passes
The following was most graciously forwarded to me by,
W. David Samuelsen, host of the
Grant County - ORGenWeb.
Mrs. Malinda Austin was buried in the Canyon City cemetery Sunday,
funeral services having been held in Austin the same afternoon. And
againt here passes one of the colorful characters of the pioneer days of
Grant county, for it was the Austin House, that she made famous with her
cuisine, and as gracious hostess for one of the famous and historic
stage stations of eastern Oregon.
She died at her home Thursday evening, October 10, at the age of 76; her
next birthday anniversay, had she lived, would have been November 28.
Mrs. Austin was a resident of the county for more than 50 years and she
is survived by a brother, W. S. Edwards also a pioneer resident.
When the four-horse stage drove through the mountains to Baker, the
Austin House was made the stopping place and it was a favorite retreat
for the traveling public to stop for a day or two when Austin was the
terminus of the Sumpter Valley Railway. The wonderful meals of Mrs.
Asutin were known all over eastern Oregon.