About 1882 James and his wife Lucretia traveled to Oregon by covered wagon with small son, Joseph Michael. They followed a trail by Marcus Whitman and arrived in Eastern Oregon, homesteaded in Pine Valley near Baden, Oregon (Maybe Baker).
They established the first Post Office at Carson, Oregon near the snake river. Due to the heavy snow fall and cold weather's effect on James health the family with ten children got into a covered wagon and for the next three months (starting May 6, 1901) made the long trip to Oklahoma and returned to farming in Comanche county.