OUR STORY
A NORTH DAKOTAN ORIGINAL SINCE 1880
Just 40 miles west of Fargo, North Dakota on Interstate 94 lies a small quiet farming town with a population of just 200 people — a place where its history and community still go hand in hand. Founded in 1880, the town of Buffalo became one of Cass County’s earliest prairie communities. It grew along the Northern Pacific Railroad line, which carried early settlers, supplies, and the promise of greater farming opportunity across the Dakota plains.
As small prairie towns were investing boldly in their own futures, Buffalo built its first wooden schoolhouse, marking the beginning of organized education in the area. After several decades of quality education at the Buffalo Public school, a fire in 1901 destroyed the larger wood frame school built in the 1890’s – a loss that inspired residents to rebuild stronger.
In 1902 the community raised a new school of brick and stone at a cost of $12,000. The new Buffalo Public School included the regular classrooms, a library, a science laboratory, a gymnasium in the basement, and a stately bell tower. The standards of the school were high and the graduates were accepted by colleges and universities without qualifications.
In 1916, as the world was deep into its first great war, Buffalo once again looked toward the future. That year, the Board of Education commissioned the construction of a two-story brick addition designed in the Classic Revival style architecture by the Meinecke Building Company in Fargo, for a cost of $20,000. The new high school was built and connected to the west section of the existing school. The stately bell tower is all that remains from the original portion of the 1902 schoolhouse - a lasting symbol of continuity that is a proud link to the town’s earliest days.
BUFFALO HIGH SCHOOL
1902 - 1978
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For nearly 60 years, Buffalo High School stood as the town’s center of learning and community life. Students studied math, science, literature, and history. They participated in organized sports and activities in basketball, football and music. The school hosted homecomings, proms, dances, and community events. Generation after generation, lessons were learned, countless memories were made while shaping and strengthening the foundation of the Buffalo community.
At its peak, the town reached a population of over 1,000 residents and was at the height of its activity, however the winds of change did not spare small towns like Buffalo. By the mid-1970s, the world was rapidly changing. Fargo was growing into a small city, and newer opportunities were emerging elsewhere, inspiring many families to move away. This shift drastically affected Buffalo and the surrounding rural communities, leading Cass County to consolidate the smaller school districts into one central school system.
The Class of 1975 was the last Buffalo High School graduating class. After a merger of two school districts, the Buffalo High School was now home to the Buffalo-Tower City School in the fall of 1975 with grades 9-12. After three years of operation, Buffalo High School closed its doors in 1978, and remained empty for several decades.
Time took its toll on the building, and eventually the gymnasium that was added in the 1930’s and the 1902 school portions had to be demolished; however, the bell tower was salvaged with the original 1916 Buffalo High School.
In 2001, Erwin “Bill” Marcks, a 1960 Buffalo High School graduate and then Mayor of Buffalo, began the initiative to preserve the historic school by purchasing it for one dollar from the county. Working in partnership with the Buffalo Historical Society, and guided by the original intention to build a strong, lasting place of learning, the new vision was to restore the building as a viable asset for the community and the surrounding area.
The City of Buffalo, under the leadership of Mayor Marcks, established the City of Buffalo Historic Preservation Commission in 2001 in order to qualify as a Certified Local Government entity and apply for federal grant funding for historic preservation projects.
The Historic 1916 Buffalo High School was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. Major renovations have been possible through federal grant funding and include electrical, plumbing, heating, cooling, windows, ceilings, woodwork, guttering, roof, brick tuck pointing, sidewalks, and handicap accessibility.
In 2026 the Historic 1916 Buffalo High School is proudly celebrating110 years of its founding, once again serving the community, hosting reunions, weddings, celebrations of life, barbecues, and special events. More than a restored building, it stands as a living landmark — a place where the past and present meet. Looking ahead, future plans include educational programs and class trips for students from Fargo and surrounding communities, inviting them to experience a piece of history built to last and to see firsthand how learning and community once shaped everyday life. Together, these efforts ensure that preservation sustains not only a structure, but a community’s story for generations to come.