Laverton

The townsite of Laverton is located in the eastern goldfields 957 kilometres north northeast of Perth and 124 kilometres ENE of Leonora. Gold was discovered near here in 1896, and one of the early promoters of gold mining in the area was Dr C W Laver, after whom the townsite is named. The "Craiggiemore" mine was one of the most successful, and by 1897 a residential and business area had been established on the west side of the mine. When the lots were surveyed in 1897 the surveyor, J H Rowe noted the Aborigines call this place "Buckanoo". The residents were unanimous in wishing the proposed place to be called "Laverton", and it was known by this name in 1898 In 1899 the Laverton Progress Committee applied to the Surveyor General to have blocks surveyed and a townsite declared at Laverton. The original area was by then unsuitable for settlement, and the miners sought permanent tenure and a townsite about three kilometres from the original lots. Lots were surveyed in July 1899, and the townsite gazetted in July 1900.