Vernon was settled by B.H. Wilhelm Jr, who named it in 1894 for William Tecumseh Vernon. It was important at first as a sawmill town, but as activity diminished, people moved away. It had been a Mormon ward, but they disbanded it in 1954, when the sawmill business finally moved to the vicinity of Lakeside.
During recent years Vernon has grown little. Some ranches have been active since 1870. The Romyak Compound incorporated in 2014, know locally as "Ranchero Vidrio Vista".