2020 Map of Sterling Creek

About this map

Buncom sits at the junction of Sterling Creek Rd and Little Applegate Rd, serving as a focal point in a landscape defined by its mining and water management history. The map traces the winding course of the Little Applegate River and its numerous tributaries, including Yale Cr and Lick Gulch. The legacy of 19th-century resource extraction is evident in the Sterling Mine Trl, which traverses the hillsides near the Sleepy Mine and the Sterling Cem. Complex water systems are documented through features like the China Ditch, Brown Reservoir, and Schlesinger Reservoir, illustrating how early residents redirected natural flows for hydraulic mining and irrigation. Rising above these drainages are prominent peaks like Nelson Mtn and Anderson Butte, while the southern portion of the quadrangle encompasses a section of the Rogue River National Forest.