Buffalo, Camp Crook & Redig (Harding County)

[Jammie]

You guys, stop it!!! I'm laughing SO hard right now.

[uncleharley]

Jammie, don't P.

Jgussler, I hope you aren't mad. I thought you would have a come back.

uh

[imbobbbb]

Originally Posted by jgussler

It is not cold!!!!!!! I've put the dog out every morning and so far this year, I have not had to bust him loose from the tree.

thats because there are no trees in eastern wyoming

[DannyBanany]

Originally Posted by imbobbbb

thats because there are no trees in eastern wyoming

HAHA! Touche!

[Joyclyns Art]

I am from Buffalo, Sd and know a lot of families including mine that homesteaded in this area and have raised their families and choose to live here. Harding Co. is made up of very dedicated ranchers and farmers that love their home. My family homesteaded in 1910, the county and town of Buffalo were est in 1909. My Grandparents are Edgar and Betty Kumley that own and run the PO in Redig, SD. Edgar took over the post office following his fathers death. He has been a postmaster for over 60 years.
Most of the families in Harding Co. are Catholic and Lutheran. It is also made up of large families and many relatives. I saw a picture of our town museum that brought me to this site.

[ElkHunter]

Originally Posted by DannyBanany

HAHA! Touche!

You never know. hahaha I have a tree in my yard. I also have a tree where I'm moving and it is in Eastern Wyoming.

By the way, I consider Eastern Wyoming as anything east of the big horns. Is that the way you see it?

[Joyclyns Art]

[quote=mojavelin;1766164]Hi,

I am really interested in Harding County (I need some setting info for a story I'm writing). From my research, I've gathered that the county has a lot of large cattle ranches.

There are many different types of ranches. Sheep, cows, buffalo, there is a research center for antelope, and farms.

Is this correct? Anybody know what types of cows/cattle? (this is where I admit I've never been near a beef cow). Is there also farming? And if so, what are the main crops in northwestern SD?

Black and red angus, charlet, long horn, herferd. Farming-winter and spring wheat, barley, corn, oats, and hay crops.

I'm also interested in what type of stores/restaurants might be in Buffalo/Camp Crook/ and Redig. Chains? Locally owned?
Buffalo-Post office, 1 bank, 1 feed store, 1 super value, 2 Insurance Comp., 2 bars, 1 resturant, headstart, 2 salons, flower-coffee/soup shop, motel, School k-13, Library, Court House, Hardware, Used item shop, town hall, ASES office, Clinic, 5 churches, news paper, 2 gas stations, three mechanic locations, senior center, ice skating rink, carwash-laundry mat, campsite, sale barn, golf course, football field, baseball field, airport, county shop, city shop, state shop, fire dept., home health business, 2 propane business, electric and telephone companies, electrition, 2 garbage services, dump location, we have paved roads in our town and curbs.

I am unsure on all the businesses in Camp Crook-Post office, gas station-mecanic-auto body-mechentile store, bar, resturaunt, town Hall, Forest Service station, school k-8th, and more.

Redig-Store-Post Office, ranch.

Reva-post office, Bar, town hall, fire station, two rural churches, and more. Slim buttes which is part of the Custer national Forest.

Ludlow-Bar and Grill School and town hall, with several rural churches.

Next, I know there is a Harding County Sheriff and some county officers--but are there town police officers? Do they drive cruisers or SUVs/trucks? A state police presence?

No city police- deputy sheriff takes that roll. They drive pickups, we have a city police car. State police make their rounds through the county monthly.

Finally, I get the impression that it can be really dry in northwest SD. Is this true? Is it dusty? When does the grass start going brown from the heat and the leaves change for the fall?

We have been in a 7 yr. drought. with farming and not a lot of rain or snow at times it becomes dusty. The grass and leaves change in the fall-sept oct.

Any and all knowledge about Harding County would be hugely welcomed and appreciated. I want to make sure I depict the area as accurately as possible.

The people that live in this area like their privacy and enjoy the small communities.
There is a lot of history in this county and a lot of family history. There are several ranches and farms that were homesteaded and are 100yrs with in the family. Please contact me if you are serious about information on Buffalo, SD.

Thank you!

[Jammie]

Hi Joy and welcome to the forum! It's so good to see more people from our state find this site.

[monkey dust]

Hello to all those interested in Buffalo S. Dakota,

I had the dubious pleasure of spending the summer of 1962 in that part of the world (Buffalo) that God obviously had forgotten about. I was sent there with a small group of people (perhaps 8 guys plus families) to conduct seismic surveying northwest of the village proper. Leaving Belle Fourche and driving north I had the distinct feeling that I was leaving the known world behind. Every morning we would assemble at the only service station and drive north to Ludlow which was on the map but in reality was only a sign on a post and a gate in the fence (really). 10 to 15 miles of dirt trails would lead us to the point of interest as determined by our crew geologist. It was so desolate there weren't even rattlesnakes about! It was a dry year except for one sudden and torrential rainstorm that shut us down for a week. Never saw any cattle, but heard that they were out there somewhere. But back to the town.
Buffalo at that time was listed as having 300 people, but I would have been surprised if the entire county (Harding) rose to that number. What was interesting about Buffalo, at least then, was its utter incongruity. There was some evidence that the town had once been a viable community, but mostly it was older folks hanging on, financially, by their finger tips. Even then they had a decent runway for small planes (2 or 3 as I recall), a hotel that was 5 times bigger than necessary (why?), a movie theatre (shut down), a laundromat (shuttered), a church, an all grades school, a hardware store, 1 real saloon, a pool hall, 1 highway cafe, a chevy dealership, 1 gas station, a trailer court (almost empty until our crew arrived with 4 or 5), a really old bank, and lots of empty stores. Sprinkled around the town were perhaps 50 to 75 houses, in various stages of decay. All in all, it was a strange, but not unfriendly, place for a young bachelor to spend time.
To this very day I have not been able to figure out what economic engine had been driving the town, nor where it went. Having read several of the posts regarding this part of Northwest S. Dakota, I now conclude that it must have had cattle as a driver, and a gross change in the local weather patterns that did it in.
The addition of perhaps 10 meagerly paid people to the town's economy had an effect that I found astonishing. I paid $1.00 per day to stay in a widow's home, and got breakfast for $.35, and a packed lunch for $.50. I might add that she was as grateful to get the money as I was to get the room (clean) and food.
As for recreation, there was the pool hall, the saloon, and a side street cafe that sold beer and featured an ongoing card game for pennies. pretty thin pickings for a young buck. Regarding single young ladies, there simply weren't any. The few school teachers had already gone back to civilization for the summer. Old George, our shooter (the dynamite man) had a 14 year old daughter who would sneak out of his trailer after he had passed out (from whiskey) and nightly saunter down to the 1 star hotel where she reputedly gave lessons in...well you know what I mean. fortunately I did not fall under her spell, or I might still be in jail!
So that was Buffalo some 46 years ago. The closest thing I have ever seen depicted on the silver screen was a movie called "The Last Picture Show." Excellent watch if you have a liking for stark reality.
I would enjoy hearing more of the history of this town, and what has become of it since I left many years ago.

Bill

[Jammie]

HI Bill and welcome!!! So you remember "The Last Picture Show", too, huh?