Hudson was originally called "Willow River". It was later named "Buena Vista" by Judge Joel Foster, founder of River Falls. This was after he returned from the Mexican–American War where he fought in the Battle of Buena Vista. In 1852, Alfred D. Gray, Hudson's first mayor, petitioned to change the name of the city to "Hudson", because the bluffs along the St. Croix River reminded him of the Hudson River in his native New York.