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The county was named after LaBette creek, the second-largest creek in the county, which in turn, was named after French-Canadian fur trapper Pierre LaBette who had moved to the area, living along the Neosho River, and marrying into the Osage tribe in the 1830s and 1840s.
In the 1840s Labette County had a population mainly consisting of Osage people, although there were also many Cherokee and Euro-Americans. Many of the Euro-Americans were merchants with Osage or Cherokee wives.
Between 1871 and 1873, at least eleven people vanished in the vicinity of an inn and general store operated by the Bender family in Labette County. Following the disappearance of the Benders in 1873, it was discovered that they had apparently murdered a number of travelers. Between eight and eleven bodies were discovered buried on the premises. Governor Thomas A. Osborn offered a reward of $2,000 for the apprehension of the Benders, but they were never found.
Adjacent Counties
- Crawford County
- Cherokee County
- Craig County, Okla.
- Nowata County, Okla.
- Neosho County
- Montgomery County
Cities, Townships & Communities
Altamont | Angola | Bartlett | Canada | Chetopa | Dennis | Edna | Elm Grove | Fairview | Hackberry | Howard | Labette | Liberty | Montana | Mound Valley | Mount Pleasant | Neosho | North | Osage | Oswego (County Seat) | Parsons | Richland | Strauss | Valeda | Walton
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