Thomas Bugbee, cattleman, settled about two miles west of Lakin near the railroad in 1872 in a commodious dugout on the banks of the Arkansas. His wife was the original pioneer lady of that section, furnishing the cook of the Santa Fe Railroad’s construction gang with her famous recipes for sour dough biscuits and pickling large quantities of buffalo tongues.
During the blizzard in January 1873 that followed the completion of the railroad, Mrs. Bugbee had ground corn in a small hand-turned coffee mill to make corn bread and mush for the family for three days. It seemed that her arm would become paralyzed, but the supplies ordered to be dropped at a nearby siding had not arrived so there was no better way to do it.
By 1876, neighbors had come to the little railroad station at Lakin. There was the operator, A.B. Boylan, and his family, and the storekeeper, John O’Loughlin, and a few others. Thus, the Bugbees decided to have an old-fashioned Christmas dinner with guests from town. Mrs. Bugbee, a very ambitious and capable woman, determined that the dinner should be as nearly like those “back home in Missouri” as her surroundings would permit.
The big table was set the full length of their one-room abode. From boxes and barrels she unpacked her precious store of snowy linen, glistening silver and dainty china. The center of the table was occupied by a few leaves of holly brightening the big fruit cake that was sent by her mother from Missouri six weeks prior.
All was ready. She paused to give a last basting to the pan of tempting juicy antelope meat browning in the oven, cast a satisfied glance at the inviting table, and started to the door to look down the road for the expected guests whom Mr. Bugbee was to bring out in his light farm wagon.
A heavy rumbling noise overhead startled her – a sort of clumsy, scrambling noise. Then cracks appeared in the ceiling paper, and dirt and clods began to sift down to the table and floor.
Hurrying to the door to see what was the cause of the commotion, she saw an immense buffalo standing in the front of the door. This made her so angry that she grabbed a gun and soon put an end to the career of the unmannerly beast. But, to her chagrin, the buffalo fell in the door across the steps and she had to wait for Mr. Bugbee and those with him to arrive and drag the animal away to clear the entrance. Then she greeted her guests, a somewhat flushed though triumphant hostess. Fortunately, all had a saving sense of humor. The damage was soon repaired, and the merry party enjoyed the entertainment none the less because of the unusual prelude.
