Hoyt had little formal education, having left school after the fourth grade, but he was a voracious reader. He taught himself a wide range of subjects and developed a thoughtful, inventive mind. In 1907, chasing the promise of opportunity in the Pacific Northwest, he left Kansas and relocated to Tacoma, Washington. There, he sold insurance, worked as a streetcar conductor, and crewed boats on weekends. One of those boat trips brought him into contact with Daisy Louise Green, the well-traveled daughter of an English sea captain. Despite differences in their backgrounds and the objections of her family, Hoyt and Daisy married in 1909 and eventually had seven children, including Alfred “Al” Buck.

The family endured financial hardship through the Great Depression, taking whatever work was available, from mill work to odd jobs. Al joined the Navy and later the Coast Guard, where he met and married Ida June Shapter. After leaving the service, Al returned to San Diego and began working as a city bus driver. Meanwhile, Hoyt had taken a job in Mountain Home, Idaho, and in 1941, following the attack on Pearl Harbor, he responded to a government request for fixed-blade knife donations by building a forge in his church basement. Using his old technique and salvaged materials, he began crafting knives for servicemen stationed nearby. These blades quickly became known for their sharpness and durability, and demand grew through word of mouth.

By 1945, as the war wound down, the military base in Mountain Home lost personnel, and the local economy faltered. Hoyt and Daisy moved to San Diego, where Hoyt set up a small workshop beside his son’s garage. There, he began producing knives for local butchers, sportsmen, and restaurants. Al joined him in 1947, forming the partnership H.H. Buck and Son. The work was slow and difficult. Knives were made by hand, ground individually, and treated using Hoyt’s precise heating method. Materials were sourced from factory waste and hardware scraps. Despite the difficulty, the quality of their knives stood out.

- In 1907, Hoyt Buck (pictued above) left Kansas and relocated to Tacoma, Washington

- In 1909, Hoyt married his wife Daisy

- After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hoyt responded by forging fixed blade knives out of the basement of his church

- In 1945, Hoyt and Daisy relocated to San Diego

- In 1947, Al Buck (pictured above) joined Hoyt and founded H.H Buck and Son

In 1962, to broaden the brand's reach, Al and Ida Buck took a road trip across the country in a Volkswagen bus, personally visiting small-town retailers. By year’s end, over 400 stores were carrying Buck products. That success set the stage for the most important product launch in the company’s history. In 1963, the board authorized the development of a new folding knife with the strength of a fixed blade. Guy Hooser, a gifted and unconventional engineer, designed a lockback folding knife with a four-inch blade that could stand up to rigorous outdoor use. The result was the Model 110 Folding Hunter, released in 1964. Its brass bolsters, wood handle scales, and secure lock made it instantly recognizable and hugely popular. Within two years, it was the best-selling sports knife in the world.

This success fueled expansion. In 1969, Buck moved into a newly constructed 30,000-square-foot plant in El Cajon, California. The company ramped up production, yet maintained a personal connection with retailers and end users. During this time, Buck introduced the 112 Ranger and the 300 Series of traditional pocket knives. The 300 Series began as an outsourced project with Camillus Cutlery, but quality control issues soon emerged. Chuck Buck, Al’s son, offered to buy the rejected knives for a dollar each, expecting only a few thousand. To his surprise, 60,000 knives were delivered. Unable to sell them, Buck donated them to Christian missionaries, who distributed them in remote regions where a good knife was often a life-changing tool.

Through the 1970s, Buck refined its production process. The company introduced the SlimLine 500 Series and, eventually, began manufacturing the 700 Series in-house to address longstanding quality concerns. With the opening of a state-of-the-art facility in 1980, featuring 200,000 square feet under one roof, Buck unified its operations for the first time. The building’s hunting lodge design reflected the company’s outdoorsman identity, and the plant’s advanced layout helped improve production efficiency dramatically.

- The Buck Model 110 Folding Hunter (pictured above) was released in 1964

- In 1969, Buck moved to a newly constructed 30,000 square foot plant in El Cajon, California

- By 1980, Buck had to relocate to a larger, 200,000 sqft. state-of-the-art facility (pictured above)