Never heard of the tiny southern Oregon ghost town of Buncom? Well, neither had we until we read about Reeve and Lyn Hennion's efforts to preserve the ghost town for future generations. Their tireless preservation and promotional efforts on behalf of Buncom and its history led to the husband/wife duo receiving a 2009 Oregon Heritage Excellence Award.Ah...and who doesn't love good ghost town lore? We knew many of our Whitewater Warehouse guests and blog readers would be interested too. When gold was discovered in nearby Sterling Creek in 1854, people swarmed to the area. As history goes, some of these miners made fortunes, many did not. Like many small towns in this era, Buncom soon "reinvented" itself by becoming a supply and distribution center for local ranchers and farmers in southern Oregon's Applegate Valley. According to Hennion, "That lasted for a couple decades until the automobile became the primary form of transportation. After that, the post office continued until the 1930's as an early day mini-mart." Today, there are only three buildings remaining in the ghost town of Buncom.
Reeve and Lyn believe that the preservation of this ghost town is vital. "Buncom and its people were typical of many settlers in the west. Their story is important in telling about the lives of people who weren't heroes, just ordinary folks." They also believe that their efforts to promote the ghost town were the first ever on the internet....Buncom's website was first published in 1995!
The Buncom grounds are open all hours, although daylight hours are best for viewing. The website provides a directional map for your convenience. Visitors do not need to contact the Hennion's before traveling to the ghost town but if you have questions, they welcome phone calls at 541-899-7656 or you can email Reeve at: rhennion@buncom.org.
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