Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1953-02-12
Roy Lee Yinger

The villages of Buck Lodge and
Boyd's were settled in or about
the year 1875. Legend tells of the
large antlered buck deer impaled
on a sharp broken-off sapling
which was killed by one of the
natives of that community, hence
it, name.
Eoyd's was named after Colonel
Boyd who purchased 1000 acres
OF land in this vicinity about
1915 for $500 an acre, part of
witch land was subsequently taken
over by the Baltimore & Ohio
rail DAD for a single track line
running through what was later
Oh to become known as Boyd's Sta
ton. Today the double track line
of the Metropolitan Branch goes
through Boyd's by-passing Buck
Lodge.
One Of Buck Lodges oldest resi-
dents is Mr.. John d. Burdette, an
octogenarian plus two months. Mr..
Burdette nostalgically recalls the
colorful days of the opening of
the railroad, and eloquently tells
of the famous Baltimore wagon
trail to the West which passed
through Boyd's. He remembers
distinctly the trek of some of the
early pioneers and their covered
wagons.
The principal occupation in this
particularly interesting section of
Montgomery County is dairying,
most of the milk produced being
shipped via truck to the Washing
ton market.
The population of Boyd's
checked by postal districts would
necessarily have to include the
villages of Clarksburg to the east
and Seneca to the southwest,
radius of perhaps fifteen miles.
The country is rolling, the soil
fertile. 1t is ideal grazing land,
and, of course, heavily productive
of alfalfa, timothy and clover.
One of the prettiest little
streams in Montgomery County
passes close to Boyd's, Ten Mile
Creek. Ten Mile Creek, as it's
name implies, flows for a distance
of ten miles. It's confluence is
with Little Seneca in or about
Jacksonville. This crystal-clear
stream winds through a large
part of the "Black Hills" famous
all over upper Montgomery County
as the habitat of the raccoon. The
Black Hills are one of Montgomery
County's last outposts which have
not yet been invaded by the wear
led city dweller.
White Grounds Road so named
because of the soil whereabouts, a
soil almost like lime, is one. of
Boyd's ways of egress to the
Observation-Disclosures road, Route
40. Sixty-five years ago. thou
sands Of acres of this land, de-
serted for farming purposes be-
cause of it's infertility, sold for the
ridiculously low price of $500 an
acre. Today, even if unimproved
this land would easily bring $780,
90 an acre. --..
History tells of an early trad
ing post at Buck Lodge patronized
mainly by the itinerants west
ward bound. There is no record of
any permanent Indian camp here
although, according to Mr.. Bur-
dette, many valuable Indian arti-
facts have been found on the
surface of some of the plowed
fields in the immediate vicinity of
Ten Mile Creek and Buck Lodge
Branch, near Buck Lodge. No
doubt the Indian once had hunt
ing camp in the vicinity of these
two little villages and therefore
has left traces of his life there be-
hind him, to be turned up by the
pillow of the farmer, washed by the
rain and picked up by the Indian
artifact collector.
1t would be refreshing for the
city dweller to visit these two
sequestered little villages.
In them he would find fulfillment
of his dream of peace, quietude
and gracious living, far from the
"maddening throng." He would
find the natives friendly, neigh
borly and extremely hospitable. In
Buck Lodge and Boyd's he would
coon 1aarn tbat ayaryona @bouo