Bucksport

Bucksport, a town in Maine, functions in the novel primarily as the destination of the Orinco chemical fertilizer trucks that thunder along Route 15 past the Creed house. These trucks, which Jud Crandall describes as "one hell of a big truck," are a constant, menacing presence, and their route to and from the Orinco plant near Bucksport is the road on which both Church and Gage Creed are killed. The town is thus a geographical anchor for the highway that becomes a site of repeated tragedy.

Orinco Trucks and the Road

The Orinco trucks, which travel between the plant near Bucksport and points north, are a recurring symbol of the lethal power of Route 15. Jud Crandall complains about the road's constant traffic, saying, "That's the one thing about Ludlow I don't like anymore. That frigging road." The trucks are specifically identified as a threat to pets and children; Jud warns Rachel on their first day that the road is "a bad road for kids and pets." The Orinco truck that kills Church is explicitly named, and the truck that kills Gage is described as "one of those big ten-wheelers that went back and forth endlessly between Bangor and the Orinco plant in Bucksport." The town's name thus becomes shorthand for the industrial traffic that brings death to the Creed family.

Local Character and Commerce

Bucksport is also the setting for a mundane errand that contrasts with the supernatural horror of the novel. Jud and Norma Crandall drive there to shop and to look at a Welsh dresser at the Emporium Galorium, a store Norma has had her eye on for years. Jud leaves a note for Louis saying they will "have a spot of lunch at McLeod's" while they are there. This ordinary outing, occurring just after the night Louis and Jud buried Church in the Micmac burying ground, underscores the normal life that the Creed family is about to lose.

A Measure of Local Reputation

The town is also used as a benchmark for local notoriety. Jud Crandall, describing the town drunkard Stanny Bouchard, says he was "the biggest tosspot this side of Bucksport." This casual comparison places Bucksport as a familiar point of reference in the local geography, a town whose name carries a certain weight in the regional vernacular of Ludlow.