Buena Vista was laid out in 1850.[2] The community was named after the 1847 Battle of Buena Vista in the Mexican–American War.[3] An old variant name was Convenience.[4] A post office called Convenience was established in 1878, and remained in operation until 1904.[5]
On March 28, 1859, a meteor exploded over the area and distributed meteorites over a 4 square mile area. Only four Chondrite meteorites were recovered,[6] two of which are in a museum in London.[7][8] Dr. Crosier collected and thoroughly analyzed the samples. His findings reported the people that found them, the location, composition, size and smell.[9]