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History celebrated in Buncom Ghost town comes alive for annual festival By PAUL FATTIG RUCH - If you missed the annual Buncom parade the first time around Saturday, you got another chance. And another. And another. The parade is so short, participants marched back up the 200-foot route on Sterling Creek Road twice. The parade consisted of three farm tractors - two green, one blue; four vintage cars, if you include the early 1960s Cadillac; a woman coaxing a balking donkey laden with mining gear; a cowpoke and his horse; and several dozen smiling youngsters, many riding stick horses. Riding herd on the parade was Reeve Hennion, who, along with his wife, Lyn, own the land upon which the historic town of Buncom sits some six miles southeast of Ruch. The event is held each Memorial Day weekend to focus on local history while encouraging a sense of community, Hennion explained. "We started doing Buncom Day as kind of a community get-together," he said of the first event eight years ago. "Everybody who lives out here knows and loves Buncom." Most folks who come for the celebration also seem to know each other, judging from the firm handshakes and hearty "hellos." Several hundred had gathered by noon Saturday. In addition to the short but pleasant parade, the old-fashioned style event included a barbecue, a wagon ride and book sales. There were even Buncom artists offering their wares. And there was the event the Hennions have dubbed the World Famous Buncom Chicken Splat contest. Hennion held up a paper marked with squares to reveal the winner of one of the chicken splat contests. It appeared to be Tony Bauer, of Medford, although the first name was partially covered by the splat. "Be careful - it's still wet," Hennion warned. Visitors checked out the three buildings still standing in Buncom, which was originally created as a mining district back in 1867. The old post office and general store is what Hennion describes as the signature building. "It was built around 1900, making it the newest of the three," he said. "It was originally across the road there." The building was moved the 100 feet or so north about 75 years ago, he said. The old bunkhouse served the miners working the Federal Mine owned by Gin Lin. He was one of the few Chinese residents who owned a local gold mine. "He owned a lot of the property along the Little Applegate here," Hennion said. "The cookhouse across the road was also used for the Federal Mine." The best fellow to show visitors around Buncom is Harley Hall, 78, who lives just up the Little Applegate River from the ghost town. "Yeah, I used to live in the building right there," he said of the old post office. "Me and old Horace Farley used to stay there. He and I worked on the ranch here, cutting hay and digging ditches. "I knew the guy that lived in the bunkhouse - Sam Reynolds," he added. "It was just an old hillbilly town. It was a great life." Although Hall was born in Crescent City, he insists he's purebred Oregonian. "You see, the line's shifted," he said. "It used to be 20 miles south. So I was born in Oregon." Having settled that, Hall explained that his parents returned to the Little Applegate country in the early 1920s. "My folks originally came out here in 1888," he said. "My dad was the Buncom postmaster back in 1917." In fact, his father's World War I draft notice was sent to the Buncom post office. That was also the year the post office closed. The young Hall, who served in the Navy during World War II, sailed in both the Atlantic and Pacific. He came back to the Little Applegate and the ranch his parents owned just up the river. "This is a good deal," he said of the annual Buncom Day. "It keeps people informed about our history." Applegate resident Steve Gehres, a cabinetmaker, has been coming to the celebration for six years. "It doesn't get any better than this," he said. "It's an extremely down-home gathering. I see people here I only see once a year. It's heartfelt on everybody's part." And this year offered the biggest parade ever, said Gehres, who has seen his share of big city parades. "I saw my daughter march by four times," he said, reiterating, "Nope, it doesn't get much better than this." Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.