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Early Buffalo, Wyoming
The settlement on Clear Creek a couple of miles east of FortMcKinney (est. 1878) had only a few dozen residents in 1879 but a bustling business from people located at the fort. Trabing's general store was being put together on south main. Buffalo was named in 1884 by drawing names from a hat; someone from Buffalo, NY, had his choice pulled from the hat. On March 29,1881 the Territorial Government created JohnsonCounty; it had a population of about 600. It included what is now Sheridan, Big Horn, Hot Springs, and WashakieCounties. Big Horn was an active town. The Sentinel newspaper at Big Horn had many interesting articles about people and events. On April 21, 1881 Nettie Wright arrived in Buffalo and started her "various" businesses.
On December 17,1882 Katie married Ephraim Ford, Doc stood up for Katie. Ephraim lived on the east side Main Street where the present highway comes in from the mountain.
Doc immediately set up a small log drug/general store on Clear Creek and Main Streetacross from the original log Occidental Hotel. The area was growing fast and there was a demand for bricks so Doc started a brickyard (under high school hill) next to the present park. His knowledge of brick making learned in Iowa came in handy. The area dug out for clay is still evident and the lore is that if one digs there old pieces of brick can be found. He produced brick for the Court House (built in 1884), old grade school, a couple of offices downtown (Holland's and Adam's), Holland House, Frank Long House, both on north main, the house on Lobban and Parmalee, and many others. The bricks were 20% smaller than normal bricks today.  The houses are in quite good shape today. Joker Whaley worked at the brick yard (see his obituary in the Buffalo Bulletin).
In 1883 Doc still had the drug store and his oldest son, Willis, had a watch repair business (advertised in the August 3, 1883 Echo). The Occidental Hotel was already becoming famous, the author Owen Wister had the "Virginian " get his man there. Doc served as the Justice of Piece. A story in the August 3, 1883 Echo tells of a brag Doc made (courtesy of Buffalo Library):
One on the Judge
In delivering the opinion of the court in the famous "crow bar case," a few days ago, Justice Huson made the statement that such was his belief in the correctness of his opinion, that he would "set up the cigars for the crowd" if a majority of them did not agree with him. Unfortunately for the Judge, there were present at the time certain limbs of the law, who never let an opportunity pass to obtain a cigar without paying for it. After a little canvassing, a vote was taken, resulting in the overwhelming defeat of the justice, there being but one dissenting voice, that of Lawyer Hinkle, who stated that as he did not smoke he would vote with the justice. The Judge informed the plaintiff that, under the rules of court, he had to foot the bill which he did.
In the summer of 1883 Doc sold the property on Main and Clear Creek and established a log residence on north Main Street just north of the present Mansion House and across the street from the Holland House. He also had lots near the present Catholic Church. Carrie Belle Huson married Billy Hunt on the 4th of July 1883 in Buffalo.
Edith Huson was born in September 1884. Clarissa Pattengill Huson was one of ten ladies who were charter members of the Union Congregational Church in October. In 1884 Mrs. Hart owned most of the property in Buffalo because of a homestead her deceased husband had filed on. All the people were squatters. Mrs. Hart sold the lots to the people where they had settled for a minimal amount.
My dad, Harry Huson, recalled sliding down the slope on the south side of Clear Creek on cow hides.
Life on Crazy Woman
In December 1884 Doc homesteaded on Crazy Woman where the present red hills road meets Crazy Woman at Tipperary next to his daughter Kattie Huson and her husband Ephraim Ford, a rancher from Big Horn. The dugouts in the 25-foot bank between the wide (1/2 mile) creek bottom land and the hills are still evident today. They split their time between the homestead and Buffalo. Ford also had family in Big Horn. Julia Huson was born on Crazy Woman in December 1885 and died two weeks later; I believe she was buried on the homestead. In 2005 we constructed a rock and mortar cairn at the site of the homestead commemorating it and Julia and Asaph Pattengill, Asaph Pattengill died there in about 1889. It is visible from the shale road that goes down Crazy Woman.
Doc Huson bought and sold many horses as evidenced in the court house records, one time in 1886 he bought 16 mares for $270.20 from Charles Builderback, another time in 1887 he bought five horses from James Murray for $250, he was a horse trader. In 1886 he registered the brand (H~ wing) to be used on all stock. The winter of 1886-87 was very hard and a large proportion of the stock were lost. This was one of the major causes of the Johnson County War ( see Harry H's version further on in the narrative.
The stage route from Sundance to Buffalo came across country by Morcroft to Powder River where Crazy woman runs into it and followed Crazy Woman up to Tipperary where dry creek comes in and then on into Buffalo. Famous outlaw Arapahoe Brown was a friend of Doc Huson's and visited them many times at the homestead. Young Harry Huson was fascinated with the stories they told.
In 1886 Doc sold the log house on north Main for $1000. Buffalo was becoming a sophisticated city. An article in The Sentinel now located in Buffalo was published July 31, 1886:
A Public Disgrace.
There is a period in the history of all frontier towns when it makes but little difference whether houses of prostitution are conducted openly in the principal business streets or not, but as towns build up and a better class of people become the controlling power, such places of infamy are usually consigned to the back streets and their inmates frequently brought before the city authorities and compelled to pay a fine in case they violate any of the city ordinances. Different in this town, a stranger coming to Buffalo need not wait until the gas light looms up in order to see the extent of vice. The (black) houses of prostitution, conducted openly on Main street and the inmates thereof appearing in the street half clad, is sufficient for any ordinary being to become at once disgusted with the town and the men who have the power to enforce the ordinances. Gentlemen of the city council! We appeal to you on behalf of the business men of Buffalo, and for the sake of the better class of our female population, to make some move in the direction of compelling the colored prostitutes to take up qua
rters elsewhere than on the principal street, and to see that their appearance on the streets, in a manner beyond all lines of decency, will hereafter be a thing of the past.
The Dalton Gang
In about 1887 a famous outlaw visited Doc's place on Crazy Woman. Many versions ofthe story exist, all much the same. The version hre is as told to me by my dad, Harry H. Huson, other versions were by old timers in Buffalo, however one of the stories was from the Dalton Family. Late one evening at the homestead on Crazy Woman three riders came to the dugout and one asked for the Doc. He explained that one of them had a broken leg and needed help so Doc said bring him inside. The riders and horses had ridden hard and were dirty; Doc Huson started working on the one with the broken leg while the other two had something to eat. The Doc would work on a broken bone with his hands until he felt it was back in place (I know from experience from my dad it hurts like hell!) and then put a splint on it (my dad set his own leg many times!). His cure was to stay off of it for 21 days and then be careful until it didn't hurt. The other two men finished eating and got on their horses and rode on. The three men didn't talk much and Doc had no idea who they were. The one with the broken leg stayed in the barn, he was a tall, "good-lookin fella" and the children were in awe of him. He entertained them with stories. My dad, Harry H. Huson, was 8 years old at the time and totally enthralled with the stranger who took a "likin" to him. After 21 days the stranger was anxious to leave, Doc asked him again where he worked and to come by again. He sat down on a log with Doc Huson and the kids around him and said to them that he was Bob Dalton and had robbed the Cheyenne-Deadwood stage. He said it was terrible; his mother was on the stage (she didn't recognize him with his kerchief over his face); he was only 17 at he time. His strong advice to the children was to earn an honest "livin," robbing stages was not a good profession. As he left he gave Doc a $100 bill.
The Cheyenne-Deadwood stage ran every day from 1876 to 1887 using 4 and 6 horse teams to go the 350 miles with up to 18 passengers averaging 8 mph. Its purpose was to haul the Black Hills gold to the railroad at xxxxx Rock near Cheyenne. There were about 25 stage stations along the route; the stage company had about 600 horses and 30 Concord Stages. Some of the famous passengers were Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane. The stage carried as much as $400,000 worth of gold in one run. It turned out to be the training ground for stage robbers. The stage company could not protect the stages, they even tried to iron clad the stages with guards inside but the robbers infiltrated the guards and still robbed the stage. Most of the famous came to Wyoming to rob the stages. The military was still occupied with the Indians and there were very few lawmen gangs.
Submitted by a super volunteer, Kari Thanks so much.
HOW BUFFALO’S MAIN STREET GOT ITS CURVE
There are several legends about the curve to Buffalo’s main street. One is that the street follows an old Buffalo trail. Here is another. This story is taken from an article written in the Buffalo Bulletin-Heritage Edition-1999.
In 1879, Ft McKinney was just established on Clear Creek about 3 miles west of Buffalo and J. H. Conrad had opened a general merchandise store in what was soon to become the thriving little town of Buffalo
Conrad naturally wanted a road or trail past his store as an extra convenience for his customers. That same year, George Washbaugh was employed by a Mr. Powell, who operated a string of bull teams, freighting between Ft Laramie, WY and Ft McKinney, along the Bozeman Trail. Washbaugh was foreman of the freighting outfit.
On one of George’s trips to Ft McKinney, he received word from J. H. Conrad that if he would bring down one of his bull strings and make a road past his place of business, he (Conrad) would give him a suit of clothes. Washbaugh came down with a string of ten oxen and three heavy freight wagons and made the trail desired by Conrad, collecting the new suit in payment
It is logical and evident that the oxen, following the natural grade of the hills, leading into and out of Clear Creek, made a very crooked trail. So it would seem that it was no particular fault of man, but just a string of oxen that were trying to keep things on the level that made Buffalo’s Main Street so crooked.
The town site was located shortly thereafter and everyone apparently settled down along the trail made by Washbaugh and his oxen and it appears no effort was ever made to straighten out the street. Buildings began to spring up and as they did, they followed the contour of the old trail.
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