[3] Prior to American expansion and occupation, the region was controlled by Cheyenne, Pawnee, and Kiowa tribes.

The Santa Fe Trail contributed to American settlement in Barton County, as it did throughout Kansas and much of the southern Great Plains.

The first settlement claim recorded in the area of Claflin was made by George Platt in 1870.

[4] This claim was divided and re-entered, eventually being sold to J. H. Williamson in 1875,[4] and becoming the town of Claflin.

The community was officially organized in response to Missouri Pacific Railroad plans for a branch line to come through the area.

[10] The Claflin Town Company, with Stelle Giles as President, filed the townsite with the Barton County Register of Deeds on March 31, 1887.

[4] The first official resident of Claflin was Robert Leslie Hamilton,[11] who built and operated the S. S. Chatten Lumber Company.

[4] The city was incorporated[4] by order of the Barton County Commissioners on July 18, 1901, and the first election was held on August 2, 1901.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.33 square miles (0.85 km2), all of it land.

[12] The 2020 United States census counted 562 people, 240 households, and 152 families in Claflin.

The community is served by Central Plains USD 112 public school district.

The Central Plains High School mascot is the "Oilers" and current principal is Toby Holmes.

[27] The Central Plains Oilers won the Kansas State High School 8-Man DI football championship in 2014, and again in 2018 after an undefeated season, finishing 13–0 with the Kansas State Ranking of #1 for their classification, and a National ranking of #8 in the country.