Escape to Buffalo Point
The destination you didn’t know you needed.
The tranquility of Buffalo Point kicks in the moment you set foot on its manicured grounds.
Maybe Waukomis isn’t in your top five places for a quick getaway, but it certainly should be. Waukomis, Oklahoma, is a tiny town just a hop and a skip from Enid, about an hour and a half from Oklahoma City and closer to two hours from Tulsa. With fewer than 1,400 residents as of 2019, the town is peaceful, even a little sleepy. And that’s what makes it a worthwhile, even necessary, destination. The peace. The silence. Oh, and the luxurious mini-resort Buffalo Point, dreamt up by Mo and Richard Anderson, who grew up in and around the town.
Is the name Mo Anderson ringing a bell? Her career in real estate is the stuff of legend. In 1995, she became the first CEO and co-owner of Keller Williams Realty International, and serves as vice-chairman of its board. Deemed one of America’s top 25 Influential Thought Leaders by REALTOR magazine and One of Real Estate’s Most Influential People, Anderson continues to cultivate the firm’s culture, inspiring 189,000 agents in 32 countries to maintain high standards of character. She is the author of A Joy-filled Life: Lessons from a Tenant Farmer’s Daughter Who Became a CEO, and launched MoAnderson.com, an online mentoring community.
She credits Richard with much of her success, saying that she never plans her life “because God and Richard are always opening doors!” Anderson, for her part, has the faith to walk through those doors as they appear. The daughter of a tenant farmer, Anderson tells stories about how excited she was to move to Waukomis as a high schooler because it meant her family would have an indoor bathroom. She shares the gifts she received from her loving family: an unparalleled work ethic and a true desire to give.
That childhood move to Waukomis was fateful for another reason. She and Richard met in high school and have been sweethearts ever since. Richard Anderson has a knack for surprising Mo with ideas that end up being exactly what she didn’t know she needed next. An example: In 1972, Richard announced to Mo that he had signed her up for a real estate class. At the time, she was a teacher and happy in her career. But Richard saw in her the potential to achieve success at a high level, so the two took the course together and her new career began.
Buffalo Point is a passion project for the Andersons. They love Waukomis and initially bought the seven-acre estate with the thought of building a little farm cottage where they could stay while visiting family. Maybe it would have enough room for everyone to gather, but it would be simple. “A family had owned the land since statehood,” Richard says, “and we heard they might be willing to sell. We bought it and it was full of wild trees, so we spent a year cleaning it up. We hired an architect who could see our vision and we started expanding our concept.”
Austin-based interior designer Betty Shaw, who has worked with the Andersons on their Edmond and Austin homes, was brought into the project early on, and her impeccable taste and eye for detail are a large part of what makes the property so special. It’s truly luxurious, but quietly so. It doesn’t shout “fancy”—rather, the more you settle in and look around, the more it begins to dawn on you that every detail is perfect. The finishes on the wainscoting and paneling, the fabric for the drapes, the collection of antiques and family treasures throughout all add up to exquisite comfort.
The grounds contain a main house, guest wing, garage apartment, beautiful timber-frame barn/event space, vineyard, swimming pool and cabana, chicken coop and garden, greenhouse, fire pit, gazebo, stone pathways and regal water feature and pond, above which stands a huge bronze buffalo created by Dallas artist George Caddell.
Construction was executed in three phases, beginning in 2011 and wrapping up in late spring 2021, when Buffalo Point began hosting corporate retreats, family reunions and people just looking to get away. It’s booking fast now that word is getting out. Better act quickly; this little slice of heaven won’t be our little secret much longer.
Two Nights at Buffalo Point
To stay at Buffalo Point is to be swaddled in luxury, plush comfort and deep, deep relaxation. Right before you arrive, however, that may not be imminently clear. During the approach to the property, it is easy to wonder if you are in the right place. Waukomis is a town of modest means, clean and neat, filled with friendly people, but nonetheless quite modest. But then, after a couple of turns, faith is rewarded. Buffalo Point comes into view and any hesitation evaporates.
Every guest is greeted by hosts Gwen and Doug Pethoud upon arrival. But even before that, guests will receive a preliminary email from the couple asking after food preferences and other needs. This lovely couple will do everything in their power to make your stay perfect. They’ll provision your suite with groceries and wine, they’ll bring you a beautiful gourmet breakfast each morning and they’ll charm you.
Gwen is a Canadian transplant and world-class culinary artist whose earlier career was spent as a private chef aboard some of the largest private luxury yachts in the world. Doug, an engineer, grew up in Waukomis and has spent much of his career in petroleum exploration throughout Oklahoma and Texas. Both love the arts and are a joyous addition to the Buffalo Point experience.
Once settled in, your choices are blessedly few: go for a soak in the outdoor spa or a dip in the pool; enjoy a glass of wine on the wide, covered porch; pop over to Enid for some extraordinary Italian food at Napoli’s; or if you’re feeling really decadent, wrap yourself in one of Buffalo Point’s plush robes, enjoy a steamy shower in the spa-grade en suite (with Natura Bisse bath products!) and settle in for some deep relaxation. You could light the fireplace and read (or just watch the fire), or you could snuggle into the perfectly crisp Matouk Hotel Collection linens and fluffy pillows and Netflix the night away. You will sleep like you haven’t in years, thanks to the glorious silence and incredible comfort.
That’s it. Those are the choices. Your normally overloaded mind may take a moment to relax its grip and recognize what a treat this is. Soon enough you’ll be padding happily about the suite, the silence punctuated only by your own deep sighs of contentment. Richard Anderson says he can feel his blood pressure drop the minute he arrives, and he’s right. It’s the precise effect the place has, and it’s a beautiful respite. Learn more at buffalopointretreat.com
“It’s more than a house. It is a resting place, a safe haven, a place of beauty and peace, a sermon in the stone that moves everyone who steps inside.”
The Town, the Vineyard and the Vision
Mo and Richard Anderson love Waukomis and are proud of their roots. They’ve extended their largesse to the entire town, building a vineyard at Buffalo Point and creating Buffalo Junction in the heart of downtown.
Buffalo Junction is a charming strip of newly opened local businesses including Mo’s Place café, serving gourmet coffee and hometown-style dishes, the newly reinvigorated Shorty’s barbershop, Painted Buffalo Trading Co. boutique gift shop and the Chapel of Joy venue for wedding ceremonies. A new Buffalo Junction residential apartment complex and interactive mural and sculpture park dedicated to the pioneers who started Waukomis are also located on the downtown strip.
Back on the Buffalo Point property, a 330-plant vineyard is flourishing under the tutelage of Gene Anderson, Richard’s cousin, who also helped oversee the development of Buffalo Point. “It was my dream to plant a vineyard,” Gene says. “I knew wheat and cattle, not grapes, so I went to OSU and went through that degree.” Gene learned about grapes, the infrastructure of building a plot and all of the ins and outs of keeping grapes healthy and happy in Oklahoma.
“We planted in 2012. They were just root balls with a 1” crown. We trained them on cane poles and it took three years to get to fruition,” Gene says. He oversees the harvest in mid-August and leases a friend’s winery in Stillwater, where Buffalo Point grapes yield about 1,500 bottles of four different wines, all semi-sweet. He also produces and bottles grape juice. Wine and juice are available at Buffalo Trading Co. along with loads of locally made goods like candles, home décor and more.