Buckley, Washington
Encyclopedia
Buckley is a city in Pierce County
Pierce County, Washington
right|thumb|[[Tacoma, Washington|Tacoma]] - Seat of Pierce CountyPierce County is the second most populous county in the U.S. state of Washington. Formed out of Thurston County on December 22, 1852, by the legislature of Oregon Territory...

, Washington, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The population was 4,354 at the 2010 census.

Geography

Buckley is located at 47°9′44"N 122°1′40"W (47.162250, -122.027744) near the communities of Enumclaw
Enumclaw, Washington
Enumclaw is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 10,669 at the 2010 census.The Enumclaw Plateau, on which the city resides, was formed by a volcanic mudflow from Mount Rainier approximately 5,700 years ago....

, Bonney Lake
Bonney Lake, Washington
Bonney Lake is a city in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 17,374 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Bonney Lake is located at ....

, and Wilkeson
Wilkeson, Washington
Wilkeson is a town in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 477 at the 2010 census.-History:Wilkeson was officially incorporated on July 24, 1909 and boasts the oldest operating in Washington state....

.

According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the city has a total area of 3.9 square miles (10.1 km²), of which, 3.9 square miles (10.0 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (1.02%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 4,145 people, 1,396 households, and 995 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 1,072.7 people per square mile (414.6/km²). There were 1,472 housing units at an average density of 380.9 per square mile (147.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.78% White, 0.63% African American, 1.13% Native American, 0.77% Asian, 0.17% Pacific Islander, 0.55% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 2.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.81% of the population.

There were 1,396 households out of which 38.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.7% were non-families. 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.4% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 32.4% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 9.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 102.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $49,453, and the median income for a family was $54,900. Males had a median income of $43,409 versus $29,688 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the city was $19,744. About 3.6% of families and 8.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.4% of those under age 18 and 4.9% of those age 65 or over.

Buckley is the home of Company A, 1st Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne)
19th Special Forces Group (United States)
The 19th Special Forces Group is one of two National Guard groups of the United States Army Special Forces. Headquartered in Draper, Utah, with detachments in Washington, West Virginia, Ohio, Rhode Island, Colorado, California and Texas, the 19th SFG shares responsibility over Southwest Asia with...

, a Special Forces National Guard unit.

History

Taken from the files of the City of Buckley and Buckley Library
  • 1856 Decisive battle of Indian War fought at Connell’s Prairie, 6 miles west of Buckley.
  • 1875
    • Coal discovered at Wilkeson
      Wilkeson
      Wilkeson can refer to:* Frank Wilkeson, American journalist and explorer* Leon Wilkeson, the bass guitarist of the band Lynyrd Skynyrd* Wilkeson a town in Washington State hamed for Frank Wilkeson...

    • Jerry Stilley, first permanent non-Indian resident, settled West of town.
  • 1877 Railroad built from Tacoma to Wilkeson to transport coal.
  • 1882 Town named “Perkin’s Prairie"
  • 1884 Northern Pacific built railroad spur track from Cascade Junction (between South Prairie and Buckley) to Perkin’s Prairie. Town given name “White River Siding” by railroad men.
  • 1885 Town’s first store erected by “Dad” Chamberlain.
  • 1887
    • Town renamed “Buckley” for J.M. Buckley, Northern Pacific Railway district superintendent.
    • First school established.
  • 1888 Town site platted by Alexander and Mary Wickersham. Town booming with lumber and shingle mills springing up overnight.
  • 1889
    • First post office established.
    • District Court appointed five men as trustees of the Town of Buckley.
    • First newspaper printed and published in Buckley - The Buckley Banner.
  • 1890
    • Town incorporated by electorate.
  • 1890
    • Buckley Lodge 75, IOOF, chartered.
    • Western Star Lodge, F&AM, chartered.
  • 1891 Land donated for Buckley cemetery.
  • 1892
    • May 5 Business District almost wiped out fire. Started on second story of the Buckley Lumber Store.
    • June 17 New school built at present site of White River Middle School on A Street.
    • First church built.
    • World’s Fair- Buckley Mills sell wood, shingles, and supplies to be used at the World’s Fair Exhibit Buildings
    • First organized water system established.
  • 1893
    • February 24 Fire Department in Buckley was established. Dr. JH Sheets was selected as an honorary member to act as a surgeon
  • 1894
    • October 17 First fire dept. dance. Ladies-free Men-$0.25 Children as spectators for $0.10
  • Eola Rebekah Lodge chartered.
  • 1895
    • July 6 Discussion of entering first 4th of July
      Independence Day (United States)
      Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...

       parade, uniforms and plans to build station were finalized
  • 1897 Women’s Musical & Literary Club founded.
  • 1898 Business district razed by fire. First high school classes held, building erected.
  • 1900 Mt. Rainier Chapter, OES, chartered.
  • 1902
    • Addition built on schoolhouse.
    • Degree of Honor chartered.
    • First library established.
  • 1905 First high school graduation held.

  • 1906 Buckley Aerie 1387, FOE, chartered.
  • 1907
    • Gravity water system built; water stored in reservoir still in use by town.
    • First general use of electricity.
  • 1909
    • Marion Grange chartered.
    • School burned to ground.
    • Town established fire department to replace Columbia Hose Company, a private fire-fighting group.
  • 1910 New brick school built on A Street.
  • 1911
    • White River Power Plant completed. (Headwork, flume, powerhouse.)
    • Present town hall built.
  • 1912 Plank streets replaced by paving.
  • 1914 Wickersham elementary school built.
  • 1920 Large section of business district leveled by fire.
  • 1923 Vocational unit added to high school building.
  • 1927 FOE Auxiliary 1387 chartered.
  • 1928 Buckley Kiwanis Club chartered.
  • 1929 Town purchased pumper fire truck to replace hand-drawn equipment.
  • 1931 Carbon Glacier Post 1414, VFW, chartered.
  • 1932 Rainier State School opens.
  • 1937 Buckley Garden Club organized.
  • 1939
    • Rainier School officially opened.
    • Work commenced on Mud Mountain Dam on White River.
  • 1942 Mud Mountain Dam completed.
  • 1944 Buckley railroad logging ended with closure of Buckley Logging Company mill.
  • 1946 City limits extended to include Rainier School and farms south of town.
  • 1947
    • Last company-operated coal mining discontinued.
    • Additional construction at Rainier School.
  • 1948 Kindergarten class instituted.
  • 1949
    • Additional construction at Rainier School.
    • Buckley and Enumclaw school districts consolidated.
  • 1950 Buckley Business & Professional Women’s Club chartered.
  • 1951 Rural Fire District No. 12 organized.
  • 1952
    • New fire station built.
    • Additional construction at Rainier School.
    • Sewage disposal plant built.
  • 1953
    • Purchase of a 1941 Packard as first aid car by fire dept. for $945
    • Wickersham school annex built.
    • White River School District (Buckley-Enumclaw) de-consolidated.
  • 1955 Buckley Planning Commission created.
  • 1956
    • New gymnasium built at high school.
    • Ida Marge Orthopedic Guild chartered.
  • 1957
    • Town established natural gas utility.
    • Buckley Junior Chamber of Commerce chartered.
  • 1958 New street signs erected.
  • 1959 Northern Pacific railroad depot torn down.
  • 1989 Filming of "Waiting for the Light" released 1990, Starring Shirley MacLaine and Teri Garr
  • 2004 White River High School
    White River High School (Washington)
    White River High School is located on an site just outside of Buckley, Washington, USA. Before 1949, it was known as "Buckley High School" but with a merger with "Enumclaw High School" in neighboring Enumclaw, the school became known as White River...

    moved to a new location in a brand new facility.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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