Buffalo City was a community in Dare County, North Carolina, located in East Lake Township. It was well-known for logging and the production of moonshine, a high-proof beverage. The swampy area on which the settlement was built is now part of the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge. Buffalo City's population peaked at 3000 in the early twentieth century, making it the largest community in Dare County.

Buffalo City's History (logging industry)

Buffalo City was built on the north side of Mill tail Creek by African-American laborers and over 200 Russian migrants. The Buffalo Timber Company established the logging industry immediately after the Civil War. The majority of the town's residents relied on logging for a living. Mill tail Creek's habitat included Juniper, Cypress, and Pine trees that could be picked for processing. The area became the site of the largest logging operation in Northeastern North Carolina. The working lumberjacks were paid 50 cents per day. Buffalo City, as a company town, was never incorporated, and there was no law enforcement. Officials from the company served as the town's authorization. On October 11, 1889, the town's first post office opened. Charles A. Whallou was in charge of delivering mail to the residents of the town.

The logging industry's decline

Mill tail Creek's surrounding forests were depleted. In 1903, the Buffalo Timber Company and the post office were forced to close due to a lack of raw materials. Following that, the town's name was changed to Daresville, but the post office continued to operate under the Buffalo City title. From 1910 to the 1920s, logging continued, but the trees were transported to a sawmill in Elizabeth City via the railroad track. The logging camps were eventually closed down in 1920.

The History of Buffalo City (moonshine industry)

In the 1920s, moonshine became popular among Buffalo inhabitants. Following the closure of the logging camps, the existing population was forced to rely on moonshine for a living. The majority of the families were involved in moonshine manufacture. The moonshine immediately became popular throughout the Eastern United States. The booze was made in the woods and transported via train track. When the boats returned from all around the region, they brought sugar and other supplies for creating moonshine.

The Second Rebuff

Federal Prohibition agents began investigating Buffalo City's moonshine industry. As a result, some guys received prison sentences. The entire economy suffered tremendously when prohibition was repealed in 1933. As a result of the loss of moonshine earnings, residents began to return to the timber sector. This failed because the majority of the good timber had already been drained. Following that, cholera, typhoid, smallpox, and flu outbreaks decreased the town's population to 100 individuals. The sawmill ceased in the early 1950s, and the village fell into disuse. The once-thriving town is now nothing more than rusted rails, a road sign, and building wreckage surrounded by overgrown foliage.