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'''Thayer''' is a city in far southern [[Oregon County, Missouri|Oregon County]], [[Missouri]], close to the state line with [[Arkansas]]. It is the largest city in the county, with a population of 2,243 at the 2010 census.
'''Thayer''' is a city in far southern [[Oregon County, Missouri|Oregon County]], [[Missouri]], close to the state line with [[Arkansas]]. It is the largest city in the county, with a population of 2,243 at the 2010 census.
==History==
The city of Thayer was first laid out in 1882 as a stop on the Fort Scott, Kansas City, and Memphis Railroad (later part of the St. Louis and San Francisco Railway) then being built through the area. The railroad company's president, George H. Nettleton, initially named it "Augusta," in honor of his wife; however, a community of that name already existed in the state, so when a post office was established in 1886, it became necessary to select a new name. A majority of citizens settled on "Thayer" after Nathaniel Thayer of [[Boston, Massachusetts]], a major stockholder in the railroad.<ref>https://collections.shsmo.org/manuscripts/columbia/C2366/oregon-county</ref>
The city derived its early importance from the railroad, which made it a major shipping point for local agriculture. According to one report, some 400 people were employed by the railroad in Thayer at the turn of the century, and it boasted such institutions as an opera house, two newspapers, and six churches.<ref>https://archive.org/details/statemissouri00willgoog/page/n506/mode/2up</ref> The decline of the railroad, beginning in the 1920s, brought an end to some of this activity, but Thayer remained generally stable over the next several decades, and has increased somewhat in size more recently.
==References==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Missouri Cities and Towns]]
[[Category:Missouri Cities and Towns]]