The History of the Buffalo County Historical Society

Fabulous Friday Speaker Series presented by Dr. Lina Cordia. The Buffalo County Historical Society, or BCHS, began in fits and starts, with early efforts to organize into a Society in the 1960s and its official establishment in 1972. In the time between then and now, BCHS opened its own museum, Trails & Rails, which just celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2025, and serves as the official repository for Buffalo County history. This talk dives into some of the motivating ideas, challenges, and successes of the historical society over its more than half-century, as it grew from little more than a stack of papers in a train depot to more than 4-acres of historic buildings filled with collections.