Harper

Formed November 16, 1907 (42^nd county)

Harper County (3,266), Buffalo (1,040), Laverne (1,226)                

The dark red brick courthouse of Harper County was built in 1927.  After the county was organized on November 16, 1907, this structure is the first permanent courthouse for the county thus Buffalo has always been the county seat.  The building sits on a square, on a hill, one block east of United States Highway 64/183, and at the corner of Elm and First.  The architect for the Classical Revival building was Maurice Jayne.  Harper was named for Oscar G. Harper, clerk of the Oklahoma Constitutional Convention.  Harper County was part of the Cherokee Outlet until it became the 42^nd county.  Buffalo was named for nearby Buffalo Creek. 

Harper County government consists of a sheriff and 3 Commissioners.  Five District Court Judges serve Harper, Beaver, Cimarron, and Texas counties.  The county is situated in the northwest corner of the state with Kansas on its northern border.  Oklahoma City, Oklahoma is southeast and Wichita, Kansas is northeast of the county.  The county center is 1.1 miles South of Buffalo.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Kansas and Woods, Woodward, Ellis, and Beaver counties. 

The area of the county is 1039 square miles.  It is 17 out of 77 in the state.  It ranks 75 out of 77 in population in the state.  It has a density of 3.1 persons per square mile making it 73 out of 77 in the state.  Harper County has 71.9% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 64 crosses east to west from Woods County to Beaver County.  United States Highway 183 goes from north to south on the east side of the county, Kansas to Woodward County.  United States Highway 270 transits the southwest corner of the county from Woodward County into Beaver County.  United States Highway 283 parallels United States Highway 183 on the west side of the county from Kansas into Ellis County.  United States Highway 412 is joined with United States Highway 270 from Woodward County to Beaver County.  The county is a rectangle except for the northeast corner, which is the Cimarron River.  The Kiowa and Beaver rivers join to form the North Canadian River in the west of the county.  Buffalo is north of the center of the county.  Laverne is in the western third of the county.  Buffalo is the county seat and Laverne is the largest city.  Buffalo is 31.8% of the county population while Laverne is 37.5% of the county population.

Rosston