ROYALS

BUCKEROO ROYALS

The Molalla Buckeroo Royals are a group of women who have served on the Molalla Buckeroo courts. They organized after the 75th anniversary of the Molalla Buckeroo in 1998.

According to 1946 Buckeroo Queen Marilyn (Buxton) Landeen, there is no other organization quite like the Royals. “From our research, this is the only organization of its kind in the nation,” Landeen said. “Enthusiasm has been building since our first response from 1937 Queen LaVanda Bunke Nicol who now lives in Eugene.”

Official Mission

“The mission of the Royals, an organization of all former Buckeroo Queens and Princesses, is to identify each woman who has been a member of a Buckeroo Court since 1913; maintain and provide a directory of all members, support each new Buckeroo Court; ... raise public awareness of historic value of the Buckeroo and to preserve any and all valuable historic documents pertaining to the Molalla Buckeroo.”

In 1999, the first gathering of former Buckeroo royalty included Lois Thronson Lay, 1941 queen; Helen Warren Wagner, 1944 queen; Marilyn Buxton Landeen, 1946 queen; Ellen Johnson Thronson, 1947 queen; Dolores Long Peterkin, 1948 queen; Jude Kappler Strader, 1958 queen.

~Story courtesy of the Molalla Pioneer