Buffalo County is named for the Buffalo River which was named in 1680 by Father Hennepin as the French voyagers called it “Riviere des Boeuf” meaning “Buffalo”.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Pepin County and Eau Claire County
S – Winona County
W – Wabasha County, Minnesota and Pepin County
Created: July 8, 1853 
County Seat:
Fountain City 1853 – 1859
Alma 1859 – present
County Courthouse – Alma
Location: 407 2nd Street / Swift Street
Built: 1961 – 1962
Style: Modern
Architect: The Cerny Associates, Inc of St. Paul, Minnesota
Contractor: Alvin Benike of Rochester, Minnesota
Description: The building faces west and is a two story brown colored brick, glass and concrete structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Alma. The first story along the west side and north side are recessed with square concrete pillars forming a long porch. The roof line is flat. In the interior, the County Circuit Court courtroom is located on the west side of the second story and the hearing room is located on the east side of the second story. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 7th Judicial District. At the south end, the building is dark red colored brick and is three stories. This addition was added in 1988. The architect was W F Smith Architectural & Engineering Services Inc. of Winona and the contractor was Hoeppner Building Corporation of Eau Claire.
Former County Courthouse – Alma
Location: 105 North Main Street / Cedar Street
Built: 1855
Style: Federal
Architect: W H Gates
Contractor: AW H Gates
Description: The building faces east and is a two story red colored brick structure. The building is located in the center of Alma to the north of the courthouse. The east front has an iron balcony on the second story. The building was originally constructed as a storefront building in 1855 and was used as a temporary courthouse starting in 1859 when the seat of Buffalo County was relocated from Fountain City to Alma. Eventually, a newer courthouse was built in 1888, and this building was expanded as the Val Mueller Store in 1897 and remains one of the oldest buildings in Alma.
Old County Courthouse – Fountain City
Location: 125 South Hill Street / Eagle Street
Built: 1853
Style: Federal
Architect: Henry Goerke
Contractor: Henry Goerke
Description: The building faces east and is a two story red colored brick and wood structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in Fountain City on the slope of a hill overlooking the Mississippi River. The east front has a central entrance with a one story addition on the south side. The roof is hipped. The west side has a white colored wood porch on the first story of the house and the addition. The building is named as the Henry Goerke House and is privately owned.
See: The 7th Judicial District includes Adams County, Clark County, Crawford County, Grant County, iowa County, Jackson County, Juneau County, La Crosse County, Monroe County, Pepin County, Pierce County, Richland County, Trempealeau County and Vernon County.
History: The county was created in 1853 and Fountain City was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse in 1854 was the Henry Goerke house built in 1853 and is still standing. The court moved to the Eagle Hotel which served as the second courthouse. When the county seat was moved to Alma in 1859, the third courthouse in 1861 was a temporary building built in 1855. The fourth courthouse was constructed by Roettiger & Company in 1888. The fifth and present courthouse was constructed in 1961 to 1962.
County Courthouse – Alma
County Circuit Court courtroom
Hearing Room
Former County Courthouse – Alma
Old County Courthouse – Fountain City
Photos taken 2007 and 2019