Big Horn Getaway: Buffalo, Wyoming

Escape to the historic Powder River Basin city and revel in its rich history.

- Leo W. Banks

Few towns are more thoroughly Western than Buffalo, Wyoming, and isn’t the name perfect? It conjures images of the great beasts roaming the plains, grizzled hunters in pursuit, Indians relying on them for their very lives.

Well, the buffaloes probably have nothing to do with it.

The most commonly told naming story says that early residents tossed their suggestions into a hat. The choice drawn was that of William Hart, who thought the name of his hometown, Buffalo, New York, would fit just fine.

The tale adds to the uniqueness of the town, incorporated in 1884, that today draws 600,000 visitors a year to its various activities and venues.

The latter includes the still-thriving Occidental Hotel, founded in 1880. Guests have included Calamity Jane, Teddy Roosevelt, Buffalo Bill and Owen Wister, author of the ground-breaking Western novel, The Virginian. He spent hours in the hotel saloon studying characters and using what he saw in the book.

The lobby alone makes a great stop. It has etched windowpanes, embossed ceilings and antique furnishings. The saloon has a 25-foot bar and 23 bullet holes in the tin ceiling and woodwork. Count ’em and drink up!