The river was reportedly named for a white buffalo that had been seen on its banks.

Native Americans consider the appearance of a white buffalo a powerful omen.

The river rises near Francs Peak in the Absaroka Mountains in the southwest corner of the Big Horn Basin.

It joins with the Wood River and leaves the mountains near the town of Meeteetse, continuing through the southern parts of Park County and Big Horn County before flowing into the Big Horn River near Greybull.

[3] In 1981, a colony of black-footed ferrets was discovered on the Pitchfork Ranch near Meeteetse.