>Joseph and Cynthia Austin,early pioneers,migrated to Oregon to homestead >land. they traveled by covered wagon,with some of the children being >born along the way. That is all I know except Canary Oregon and >Willamette Valley were mentioned.I have no dates but suspect it was in >the 1880's,just a guess.They most likely left from ILL. >Can anyone help me with this?Linda Maybe we can narrow it down a little. The 1862 Homestead Act was extended to Oregon in 1868 and expired in 1908. Since most of the prime land was already claimed, homesteaders generally took marginal land or land higher in the foothills of the Cascades or Coast ranges. One of my direct ancestors took a homestead at the headwaters of the Alsea River in 1884. jim