Buncom
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An old post office storefront building in the ghost town of Buncom. (Oregon State Archives, 2019) Get a high resolution copy of the post office from the Oregon Scenic Images Collection.
The tiny town of Buncom west of Ashland was settled in the 1850s by Chinese miners. Americans got wind of the find, pushed out the Chinese, and a general store, saloon, and post office were all established before the 1900s. In 1918, the region’s gold dried up and the town was abandoned. Shortly thereafter, many of Buncom’s remaining buildings were destroyed by a devastating fire which swept the ruins. Only three buildings survived the flames: the town post office, a wooden bunkhouse, and an old cookhouse.
Nearly a century later, the Buncom Historical Society formed in 1990. It was a body of valley residents who wished to preserve what remained. Beginning in 1993, the society organized the first “Buncom Day,” an all-day annual affair that begins on a Saturday in late May. Designed to raise interest in local history, the event features live music, a barbecue, parade, family events, a petting zoo, door-prize drawings, as well as craft and food booths. Admission is free to Buncom Day and about 500 people usually attend. The event raises money for the society to preserve the buildings of the town of Buncom and promote the history of the Little Applegate Valley.
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