Chinese miners first settled Buncom in 1851 when gold was discovered in Sterling Creek. The outpost (now a ghost town) is located twenty miles southwest of Medford along a very scenic, very twisty road. We often hike the nearby Sterling Mine Ditch Trail. Built (with hand tools!) in 1877 to carry water from the LittleContinue reading “Buncom, Oregon”
Tag Archives: history
Like Anywhere Else
“That desolate place, not even a town but a corner — the intersection of two roads on their way somewhere better — that was home. The street names are Jackson and Bradshaw but that doesn’t really matter. On my last trip into the area, I discovered every landmark gone. The city that used to castContinue reading “Like Anywhere Else”
Posterity
While connecting the communities of Gold Hill and Eagle Point, Oregon, State Route 234 passes through Sams Valley (the basin was named after Chief Sam of the Rogue River Tribe). Impressive views of Upper and Lower Table Rock dominate the nearby horizon. Turn North from the modern highway, however, and the weathered remains of theContinue reading “Posterity”
Gold Hill House
Last week, Google Maps had worked. Why not use “Street View”, I had thought, to go on a virtual road trip and draw what I saw? Although it was a decent idea, the details were vague. As it turns out, a closer look means relying on other material. A specific style of architecture, Queen Anne,Continue reading “Gold Hill House”