Once known as Plantation Number 4, Becket dates back to the 1740s as a frontier town. Becket's industries began expantion along Yokum Brook. Becket, just as countless other American villages, prospered around water and railway transportation. Most of the time, water power proved a big advantage. Heavy rains and springtime snowmelt did bring its challenges, and controlling Yokum Brook began upstream with dams on its tributaries. In 1927, catastrophe struck when Ballou Dam burst, wiping out the mills along the water's edge.
The dam at Buckley-Dunton Reservoir is still intact, although great strides have been achieved restoring water flow along Becket's streams. In this picturesque setting, the reservoir is bathed with a late day lavender hue which stretches across the Massachusetts's sky, painting a splendid shoreline backdrop. The 160 acre lake is found west of Becket and backs up to the 255 square mile October Mountain State Forest. Scenic Route 8 also passes by Becket and creates a wonderful drive through the Berkshires. The scenic byway runs from Winsted, Connecticut, northward to Searsburg, Vermont.