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History · Buckley

Buckley dates to 1905

Most of Buckley was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2001. Below: maps from 1954 on and the census since 1910.

1905founded
0on the National Register
4%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Buckley began

When was Buckley founded?

1905

Buckley dates its founding to 1905 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1910.

First census: 464 in 19102020 census: 775121 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1906.The full story ↓

What stands out about Buckley’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Buckley are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost half of its people between 1910 and 1950, then grew 3-fold.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Buckley’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Buckley’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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People over time

Buckley, census by census

0200400600800192019401960198020002020464 in 1910Low: 194

Lost half of its people between 1910 and 1950, then grew 3-fold.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Buckley’s Wikipedia page.

The story

How Buckley came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Buckley.

Read it all →

The area that is now Buckley was historically traversed by what is now known as the Old Indian Trail, a trail which connected the Cadillac area to the Traverse City area.

Buckley was originally founded in 1905 as a railroad station operated by the Manistee and North-Eastern Railroad, and the community was named for the local Buckley & Douglas Lumber Company. The Buckley post office was established on March 31, 1906. The community incorporated as a village in 1907.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Buckley, 1905 to 2020

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 20th century
  2. 1905
    FoundingBuckley is established
  3. 1954On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  4. 21st century
  5. 2020CensusPopulation peaks at 775
By decade

Buckley, decade by decade

Today18 recent
Buckley, MI village offices2022Buckley, MI village officesBuckley, MI post office2022Buckley, MI post officeBuckley, MI (July 2022)2022Buckley, MI (July 2022)Hanover Township Hall2021Hanover Township HallBuckley Community Schools2021Buckley Community SchoolsBuckley Baseball Ground2021Buckley Baseball GroundBuckley Old Engine Show2019Buckley Old Engine Show1911 Avery Steam Tractor20191911 Avery Steam TractorBuckley Old Engine Showgounds2016Buckley Old Engine ShowgoundsThe Spirit of Traverse City lives again!2014The Spirit of Traverse City lives again!45th Annual Buckley Old Engine Show201445th Annual Buckley Old Engine ShowTractor 4 at Buckley Old Engine Show - August 20092009Tractor 4 at Buckley Old Engine Show - August 2009Tractor 3 at Buckley Old Engine Show - August 20092009Tractor 3 at Buckley Old Engine Show - August 2009Tractor 2 at Buckley Old Engine Show - August 20092009Tractor 2 at Buckley Old Engine Show - August 2009Tractor 1 at Buckley Old Engine Show - August 20092009Tractor 1 at Buckley Old Engine Show - August 2009Old John Deere - August 20082008Old John Deere - August 20081970 Firebird20081970 FirebirdMIMap-doton-Buckley2005MIMap-doton-Buckley
On the map

Buckley on the map, 1954 to 1989

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Buckley. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Buckley on the 1954 USGS mapBuckley on the 1989 USGS map1954Traverse City sheet · 1:250,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Buckley.

Famous people

Famous people close to Buckley

Nobody well known was born in Buckley itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
C
Claude A. WatsonAmerican politician · b. 1885
Dora Hall StockmanAmerican writer and lecturer · b. 1872

Questions about Buckley’s history

What year was Buckley founded?

In 1905, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Buckley’s post office opened in 1906, and the census of 1910 counted 464 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (18), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.