Laverne, OK

Laverne is a Harper County town at the meeting of U.S. 283 and State Highway 149, 23 miles southwest of Buffalo. The 2020 census counted 1,223 residents. John Mollman homesteaded near the first post office in 1903, the townsite was platted in 1911, and the Wichita Falls and Northwestern Railway arrived in spring 1912. By June of that year, Laverne had about 44 businesses, including a state bank, making the railroad and main street the town’s first working framework.

Agriculture remains central to the surrounding economy, with wheat, hay, and cattle in the local mix, while Laverne’s earlier oil boom earned it the nickname “Oil Capital of Northwest Oklahoma.” The town’s present landmarks include the Fox Hotel and Clover Hotel, the Laverne Community Museum, the former MK&T Depot, and the North Main Street Historic District. Local schools draw students from Harper, Ellis, and Beaver counties, and the annual Independence Day celebration, Sand Plum Festival, and community calendar keep gatherings tied to Main Street. Laverne’s map holds the railroad town, the farm economy, and the county’s public events together.