Buffalo and Northwestern Railroad

When citizens of Harper County decided to link their county seat of Buffalo with the railroads,[2] Waynoka was an appealing destination: that locale had been founded in 1888 on the rail line of a subsidiary of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (AT&SF), and by 1908 it had the largest railyards in Oklahoma.[3] Accordingly, the Buffalo and Northwestern Railway Company was incorporated in Oklahoma on April 10, 1916. [4] However, that company was subsequently reorganized, and in its place the Buffalo and Northwestern Railroad Company was incorporated in Oklahoma on July 18, 1919.[4] Work was pursued on a line from Waynoka, passing through Woods and Woodward countries and into Harper, with the task completed in May, 1920 when the trackage reached Buffalo.[1][5] The line was about 52 miles in length.[1]

The town of Freedom was bypassed by the tracks.[6] However, so important was the railroad that the town relocated to be on the line.[6]

The railroad’s independent existence was short-lived. The line was purchased by the AT&SF on July 1, 1920.[5] Much later, the AT&SF filed for abandonment of 51 miles of the line, doing so on November 15, 1982.[1] This has left Buffalo with no rail service.[7]