4 – Buffalo Bulletin, Heritage 2019

The Historic
Occidental Buffalo’s time capsule
By Floyd Whiting
Floyd@buffalobulletin.com

The Occidental Hotel had humble beginnings in the sum-

mer of 1879. A carpenter by trade, Charles Buell moved to
the location next to Clear Creek a year after the establishment
of Fort McKinney, located approximately 3 miles to the west.
The fort had a garrison of some 300 soldiers and the small
town sprang up beside Clear Creek to provide goods and ser-
vices.
In his book, “The Occidental 1879 to 2009, A Wyoming
Frontier Hotel,” Gil Bollinger records a statement from 1984
by Helen Buell, the eldest daughter of Charles, on how her
father came into the hotel business.
“He had hardly settled into his tent when a group of miners
came along. They asked if they might board with him for a
few days. Buell agreed to accommodate them, for he was an
excellent cook. The miners had come down from the Bighorn
Mountains, and had some gold they had mined in the moun-
tains. … The miners stayed several days and ate delicious
meals prepared by Buell, of bacon, eggs, flapjacks and coffee.
When they left, Buell was liberally rewarded for his hospital-
ity. This could be considered the first hotel in Buffalo and in
fact, the beginning of the famous Occidental.”
This incident is said to be the event that led Buell to
believe the hotel business would be a profitable venture. First,
a temporary frame shack was built to support the business
while a larger log construction was taking place. Buell began
construction on a building that was 24 feet by 28 feet with
a ground floor lobby, dining room and kitchen. The second
floor held six bedrooms, each with its own window. The
structure was completed in the fall of 1880 but additions were
added to the ground floor on both the north and south sides.
Each of the additions contained two rooms and, with a stable
and livery in the rear, the building was complete.
The Occidental would serve as the hub of activity in what
would become the town of Buffalo. The Occidental would
come to serve as the Rock Creek-Junction City stagecoach
station, a hospital, main polling place and even the county
courthouse. The building would also become the post office
for a time, with Buell serving as the second postmaster in the

Bulletin photo
The Occidental Hotel
has become an icon of
the West. From humble
beginnings, the hotel
would gain fame and
infamy through the sto-
ried list of characters
who have frequented it.