Ghost Town of Bourne, Oregon
Bourne is about six miles north of Sumpter, Oregon. I wasn’t expecting there to be much of anything here, but was pleasantly surprised by what I did find. Bourne is named after Jonathan Bourne, Junior from Portland who was Oregon state senator from 1907 to 1913. He had an interest in Gold Mines, and the town was named after him when the post office was established in 1895.
Like Granite, Bourne is a mixture of old and older. About a dozen houses of various sizes and age line the main road. There are the piled remains of a couple of buildings further up the road. Many of the houses have been repaired and “upgraded” over the years. Cedar Shingle roofs have been replaced with metal roofs. Expanding foam (as in picture #3) works to seal cracks in the logs. Windows have been replaced with more modern ones. Based on my observation of the town, I believe that most of the residents of Bourne actually own gold claims along the river and actively pan it. Some of the “houses” were very small, one was obviously brand new, but couldn’t have been more then one room.
1. Comment by susan wilson
16/Apr/2012 at 1:28 am
My family owns the 1st cabin on the right in Bourne Before we built our cabin in 1974 We stayed in the old log home Let me tell ya it was just a tad bit CREEPY!! It was a very different place As a kid I always wondered why every thing looked like the people had just walked away and left every thing It looked like they just left the day before VERY COOL!!
2. Comment by Courtney
11/Jul/2012 at 8:53 am
It was very interesting. I just took my 4 year old daughter up there and drove through it. It is eerie but very intriguing at the same time. I was wondering what the name of the the mine on the left before you come into Bourne is called? We didn’t get out to explore in town but was nice to say I had been there and take a few pictures:)
3. Comment by Rick
11/Jul/2012 at 10:16 am
I’m very interested in any pictures you might have from back then.
4. Comment by Kayla Wilson
2/Dec/2012 at 11:32 am
The first cabin on the right (blue one) is my families. this place and all of it’s rubble is so close to my heart. I have stayed in the last one pictured, it was fun, but had some trap holes in the floor. I remember playing uno late at night while the fire crackled. I have also visited the A frame quite a bit. A few of the new homes are illegally placed there, as everything is grandfathered in. Our neighbors (next to the blue cabin) are the most frequent of visitors, anytime we go, they are there. it’s amazing to explore and just imagine the stories it has to tell. I am the niece of the first lady (susan) that commented