Occidental Hotel, Buffalo Wyoming

Buffalo, Wyoming is a city located at the base of the Big Horn Mountains between Yellowstone Park and Mount Rushmore with a population of approximately 4,585. It is 40 minutes from Sheridan, Wyoming and 4 hours from Cody, Wyoming.

As far back as 1880, during the rip-roaring days of Wyoming, the Occidental Hotel located in Buffalo, Wyoming had a following of travelers including gold miners, outlaws, and well-known people. Buffalo Bill Cody, Teddy Roosevelt, Tom Horn, Calamity Jane, Butch Cassidy and the Hole-in-the-wall Gang were just a few of the many travelers who stayed at the hotel. Located on the Bozeman Trail, the hotel was an oasis with a soft bed and meal. In 1997, the hotel underwent a 10 year $1.6 million dollar renovation and is now on the National Historical Register.

American author, Owen Wister, wrote a novel in 1902 “The Virginian” depicting the life of a cowboy on a cattle ranch in the Old West during the 1880s and is the first true fictional western ever written. The “black-haired cowboy” known as The Virginian in the novel, travels from Medicine Bow, Wyoming, to Buffalo, Wyoming, chasing the rustler Trampas, to whom The Virginian deals out frontier justice, while staying at the Occidental Hotel during the days prior to marry a Vermont schoolteacher he fell in love with, Molly Wood.

From that novel, the restaurant at the hotel was named “The Virginian” after that novel. The interior is authentic Old West setting and the food is exceptional – homemade sauces, local beef steaks, thick and tender served with local farmer produce. We visited the restaurant for a birthday dinner, having the pasta with homemade sauce (fantastic!) and the prime rib served with local farmer vegetables, topped off with a chocolate mousse cake.

The 1908 Saloon is conveniently located next door, so you can pop in for a nightcap and listen to the local bands that play Thursday thru Sunday during the summer months. The saloon still looks like it did over 113 years ago, including the original bullet holes from days past. It was packed full when we went in for a nightcap after dinner, with a group of five entertainers with authentic country music.

Other great links for Buffalo:

Buffalo Tourist Info

Museum of the Occidental Hotel