Byars

History

The present community of Byars is one mile southeast of the Camp Arbuckle site in what is now McClain County. Before Byars was established, there was a community called "Johnsonville", named for local rancher Montford Johnson. Thomas B. Johnson, Chief Justice of the Chickasaw Nation, lived in Johnsonville, and his daughter Katie married Nathan H. Byars, another local rancher. In 1903, the Oklahoma Central Railroad (OCR) was very interested in building a community one mile south of Johnsonville, where the OCR was building an east–west line. Katie Byars and her husband donated land to be used for this purpose, despite opposition from their neighbors in Johnsonville. A post office named Byars was opened on April 9, 1903. Byars incorporated in 1906, and the OCR main line reached the town site in July 1908. At statehood in 1907, Byars had an official population of 537.

Geography

Byars is in the southeast corner of McClain County, along State Highway 59. Purcell, the McClain county seat, is to the northwest, and Ada is to the southeast. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Byars has a total area of , of which are land and , or 6.53%, are water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  93
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  83
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  79
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  72
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  61
• Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

  Tyrannus forficatus (Gmelin, 1789) · Aves
  61
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  61
• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  60

Most recent

• M 3.29 — 2026-09-04
  2 km SSW of Dibble, Oklahoma
• M 2.67 — 2026-08-13
  5 km NE of Wardville, Oklahoma
• M 2.56 — 2026-06-13
  6 km ENE of Edmond, Oklahoma
• M 3.5 — 2026-05-19
  2 km ESE of Johnson, Oklahoma
• M 2.72 — 2026-05-15
  4 km SE of Ratliff City, Oklahoma
• M 2.91 — 2026-03-22
  5 km SE of Ratliff City, Oklahoma