I read an article in the Ravalli Republic that contained comments about Charles Amos Buck. Being the fourth generation of these Bucks from Ohio, I wanted to share some of the history that I know.
Buck Street (not Buck Lane) in Stevensville was named for Amos Buck (my great grandfather) and his brothers, Henry, Fred, and George. Amos, Fred and George lived on the 200 block. Amos had a large Mcintosh orchard there that extended to what is now the ball park. The brothers had various mercantile businesses. Charles, son of Amos, took over the mercantile business at age twenty-six. Charles was a mayor of Stevensville and like his father, he excelled at making the town even better with the help of its citizens.
An event that was forever impressed in Granddad Charles’ mind, occurred at the age of four. He was in his father’s store watching Chief Charlo and the Salish men on horseback riding single file past them. Charles asked his father if he could go out and talk to Chief Charlo. His father stated that he couldn’t because Chief Charlo had troubles of his own. Granddad went outside and sat on a fence post to watch. He then saw, walking behind the horses, elderly women carrying their papooses and crying. Running a half block home, he asked his mother why the women were crying. She informed him that they had been forced from their land and homes. He returned to the store, sitting on the post, to watch the rest of the procession. There was no mention of soldiers chasing them.
Thus there is Buck Street, not Buck Lane, named after Amos and his brothers, and Charles would always remember the Salish stoically passing through town to their new location.
Carolyn Mickens
Stevensville/Hamilton