Thayer County, Nebraska

Thayer County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Hebron
Year Organized: 1872
Square Miles: 575

Court House:

225 N 4th Street, P. O. Box 208
County Courthouse
Hebron, NE 68370-0208

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Jefferson and Jones Counties were united to become one, under the Jefferson name. Then in 1870 the Legislature once again separated the two. What was originally called Jones took the name Jefferson and retained the old county records. The initial Jefferson became known as Thayer, in honor of Gen. John Milton Thayer, a US senator from Nebraska and later its governor.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

The area that is known today as Thayer County was first established by the Territorial Legislature in 1856. It would be another 14 years before it would become known as Thayer County, however.

Legislators originally designated the area as Jefferson County, while the present Jefferson County, neighboring to the east, was designated as Jones County. In 1867, when Nebraska was admitted to the Union, Jefferson and Jones Counties were united to become one, under the Jefferson name. Then in 1870 the Legislature once again separated the two. What was originally called Jones took the name Jefferson and retained the old county records. The initial Jefferson became known as Thayer, in honor of Gen. John Milton Thayer, a US senator from Nebraska and later its governor.

The early development of the area was attributed to the great trail period. Nearly 2½ decades before it became Thayer County, the area was crossed by the Oregon Trail and the Pony Express Route. This brought thousands of immigrants through the area and caused the Indians to fear the white man was taking over their cherished hunting grounds. A number of fierce raids and battles took place between 1864 and 1867.

An 1869 circular promoting the colonization of this area resulted in scores of settlers rushing in to file for homesteads. The circular falsely claimed, however, that factories, mills, railroads and flourishing towns awaited for them. None of these conditions actually existed.

When the St. Joseph and Western Railroad built through northern Thayer County in 1872 and the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad crossed the southern portion of the county, new growth resulted. Hebron, first surveyed three years earlier, was named the county seat.

Hardships have not been uncommon in this area. Grasshoppers, drought, prairie fires and blizzards hampered early settlers. But one of the most devastating hardships occurred in 1953 when a tornado tore through Hebron, damaging everything in its path, including more than $70,000 damage to the courthouse.

Neighboring Counties:

Insert Counties Here

Cities and Towns:

- Alexandria	village	Incorporated Area
- Belvidere	village	Incorporated Area
- Bruning	village	Incorporated Area
- Byron	village	Incorporated Area
- Carleton	village	Incorporated Area
- Chester	village	Incorporated Area
- Davenport	village	Incorporated Area
- Deshler	city	Incorporated Area
- Gilead	village	Incorporated Area
- Hebron (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area
- Hubbell	village	Incorporated Area
- Reynolds	village	Incorporated Area

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

County Resources

The history of our nation was a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names given the counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of this country!"

But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.

Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally, act locally."