Country United States County Harney Elevation 1,284 m Area code 541 | State Oregon Time zone PST (UTC-8) Local time Sunday 1:52 PM | |
 | ||
Named for William D. Buchanan family Weather 2°C, Wind SW at 23 km/h, 48% Humidity | ||
Buchanan is an unincorporated community in Harney County, Oregon, United States. It is about 20 miles (32 km) east of Burns on U.S. Route 20.
Contents
Map of Buchanan, OR 97720, USA
History
The community was named after the family of William D. Buchanan, who, with his sons Joe and George, homesteaded there beginning in 1886. Buchanan post office was established in 1911, with Hattie E. Buchanan the first postmaster. The office closed in 1919 but the area around the Buchanan Ranch is still known as Buchanan. By 1978 the community had a single store. Today Buchanan has a Burns mailing address and a business that includes a tractor repair shop, gas station, gallery, and free museum, all located within the only building in the community.
The school once stood along Little Rock Creek on the site of the present-day Buchanan Springs Rest Area on U.S. 20, a mile northeast of the community.
William Buchanan and his sons ran a stage stop at the top of the hill, north of the present-day Buchanan, on the former J. W. Buchanan ranch. The stop served the route from Vale to Burns. Meals for stagecoach passengers were 50 cents, while those traveling with horses only paid 35 cents, but they paid 25 cents per head for feed and water for their livestock. The stop was later run by Thomas Buchanan.
Transportation
In the 21st century, Buchanan is a stop on the Eastern POINT intercity bus line between Bend and Ontario. It makes one stop per day in each direction.