BlockFrom the record
2 National Register listings published here.
Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service
Thayer County, Nebraska
25 topographic sheets cover 13 settlements here, and 2 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.
Research this county
What the record shows
- 156 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
- 2 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 2 buildings.
- 1 of the 2 listings was added during the 1970s.
- The Geographic Names Information System records 13 populated places in this county; 13 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.
Places on the National Register
2Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.
| Photograph | Property | Type | Listed | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Richard E. Dill House | building | 1973 | 73001077 |
 | US Post Office-Hebron | building | 1992 | 92000473 |
Wildfire, 2000 to 2020
129 firesEvery wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 129 of them, burning about 1,142 acres. 2 started naturally and 2 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 63 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 33 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 20 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 4 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 2 |
| Natural | 2 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 2 |
| Fireworks | 1 |
| Smoking | 1 |
| Other causes | 1 |
The five largest, by the area the report gives. None of them was recorded as arson.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 March 2014 | Debris and open burning | 160 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 12 March 2018 | Debris and open burning | 100 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 6 April 2018 | Debris and open burning | 80 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 4 February 2018 | Debris and open burning | 65 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 4 March 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 65 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 15 March 2014 | Debris and open burning | 60 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 11 April 2018 | Debris and open burning | 60 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 21 March 2018 | Debris and open burning | 40 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.
Storms, 1953 to 2025
60 of 601 shownThe NOAA Storm Events Database holds 601 reports for this county, causing 6 deaths, 93 injuries and about $53,571,060 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.
| Kind of event | Reports |
|---|---|
| Hail | 281 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 190 |
| Tornado | 63 |
| Heavy Rain | 41 |
| Flash Flood | 15 |
| Funnel Cloud | 7 |
| Lightning | 2 |
| Flood | 2 |
The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1953 | Tornado (F3) | not stated | 5 killed, 80 hurt, $2,500,000 | no account filed |
| June 2003 | Tornado (F2) | Deshler | 1 killed, 7 hurt, $10,000,000 | A strong tornado set down on the southeast side of Deshler near the fairgrounds and moved west through the south side of Deshler. The slow moving tornado lifted a couple of miles west of town. |
| June 1984 | Tornado (F3) | not stated | 5 hurt, $2,500,000 | no account filed |
| April 2001 | Tornado (F1) | Hebron | 1 hurt, $30,000 | Brief tornado on the east side of Hebron |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Deshler | $2,500,000 | A swath of wind with gusts estimated to be as high as 90 MPH swept through the west-northwest portions of Thayer County. Peak measured gusts included the following: 85 MPH, measured by a mesonet station located four miles east-southeast of Deshler; 85 MPH, measured by a mesonet station located three miles west-southwest of Carleton; 83 MPH, measured by mesonet stations located four miles northwest of Deshler and one mile north of Deshler; 72 MPH, measured by a mesonet station located five miles south-southwest of Carleton. Widespread tree and crop damage was reported along and within a few miles either side of this path. Several large trees were snapped and large limbs were downed. Approximately four miles northwest of Deshler, emergency management reported a home suffered roof damage at a farmstead, and had several outbuilding damaged or destroyed. In Deshler, a large cinderblock wall was blown over at a local business and the steeple of a church was blown over onto the ground. Approximately 1.5 miles south-southwest of Deshler, a barn was displaced off of its foundation. In the Carlton and Davenport area, emergency management reported that at least 30 power poles were damaged or destroyed, with several being along Highway 4. |
| May 2004 | Tornado (F2) | Belvidere | $2,500,000 | A tornado traveled 8 miles and damaged 6 farmsteads. One house was hit by the tornado. Damage was so severe; the owners burnt the 120 year old house. A machine shed was destroyed toward the end of the tornadoes path. Three semi-trucks were stacked on top of each other at one site. Several center pivot systems were destroyed. |
| March 1990 | Tornado (F3) | not stated | $2,500,000 | no account filed |
| July 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Davenport | $2,000,000 | The peak measured wind gusts was 71 MPH, recorded at 11:37 PM CDT by a mesonet station located three miles east-southeast of Carleton. Other gusts included: 67 MPH, recorded at 11:45 PM CDT by a mesonet station located three miles east-southeast of Belvidere; 59 MPH, recorded at 11:41 PM CDT by a mesonet station located four miles northeast of Belvidere; 59 MPH, recorded at 11:21 PM CDT by a mesonet station located 2 miles south-southeast of Davenport. Emergency management reported power outages, tree and crop damage along and near this path, including a tree that fell onto a car in Alexandria. Corn was flattened in many spots, with at least a half-dozen pivots overturned. A power pole was snapped near the intersection of Highway 4 and Highway 5. |
| June 2003 | Flash Flood | Countywide | $2,000,000 | no account filed |
| May 1996 | Tornado (F1) | Gilead | $2,000,000 | no account filed |
| May 2015 | Tornado (EF2) | Deshler | $1,500,000 | This is a continuation of the tornado that touched down west-northwest of Webber in Jewell County, KS, traveling northeast through the very northwest corner of Republic County, KS, before entering Nebraska near the town of Hardy in Nuckolls County. It continued traveling northeast into Thayer County, lifting northwest of Deshler. This tornado was rated an EF2, with an estimated peak wind speed of 122 MPH. EF2 damage was noted in both Jewell County, KS and Nuckolls County, NE.||Damage along this tornado path included numerous pivots overturned and snapped power poles. There was a large amount of tree damage noted. In addition, in Thayer County, grain bins and outbuildings were destroyed, and irrigation piping was strewn across a road. |
| May 2015 | Flash Flood | Davenport | $1,500,000 | Central portions of Thayer County was the hardest hit in the NWS Hastings coverage area. A swath of 5 to 9 inches of rain, with locally higher amounts of 10 to 11 inches, was reported across the the county. Portions of Highways 81, 136 and 53 were closed for a period of time during the evening. In Hebron, a bridge was washed out, reducing the access to the local hospital and nursing/assisted living facilities down to just one road. In Deshler, water at least 6 inches deep resulted in the evacuation of 6 homes as well as a nursing home. A total of 43 residents were taken to a shelter at the local high school. At least 4 bridges and many miles of county roads were damaged by the flooding. |
| May 2015 | Tornado (EF2) | Chester | $1,000,000 | This is a continuation of the tornado that touched down in the Scandia area of Republic County, KS. This tornado was rated an EF2, with an estimated peak wind speed of 120 MPH. The strongest and widest portion of this tornado occurred in Republic County, KS.||In the Thayer County, NE, portion of this tornado, trees were damaged and pivots were overturned. Power poles and grain bins were damaged. One home southeast of Hebron had its roof partially removed. This tornado crossed Highway 81 approximately 6 miles south of Hebron. |
| September 2015 | Hail | Chester | $1,000,000 | Photos received via social media showed several hailstones between 2 and 3 inches in diameter. There were numerous reports of significant vehicle, home window and siding damage in the area. There was also damage to crops. |
| May 2004 | Tornado (F1) | Byron | $1,000,000 | A tornado traveled north from near Byron to just south of Deshler. Fortunately the tornado remained in primarily unpopulated areas. |
| May 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Carleton | $1,000,000 | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Davenport | $800,000 | no account filed |
| June 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Davenport | $500,000 | Wind gusts of 76 MPH were measured by two mesonet stations in this area. There was a public report of several blown over irrigation pivots. |
| June 2022 | Tornado (EF0) | Deshler | $500,000 | This tornado touched down in Nuckolls County, just northwest of Ruskin, and moved southeast across town. In town, most of the damage was confined to trees. After passing through town, the tornado destroyed a shed and two empty grain bins south of town. As the tornado rapidly traveled southeast, it upset roughly a half-dozen irrigation pivots, damaged at least two more grain bins, peeled tin and shingles from the rooftops of at least two buildings, and damaged trees. After nearly 10 miles, the tornado lifted three miles north of Byron in Thayer County. |
| May 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chester | $500,000 | Wind gusts estimated to be near 70 MPH resulted in damage in the Chester area. A local business had a window blown out. Tree damage was widespread, with the largest downed limbs up to 10 to 12 inches in diameter. Power outages occurred. At least 3 pivots were tipped over east of Chester on the east side of Highway 81. Blowing dust caused reductions in visibility down to less than one-quarter of a mile. |
| April 2016 | Hail | Deshler | $500,000 | Hail ranging from quarter to tennis ball size was reported along this path, with the largest stones in Deshler itself. |
| May 2015 | Tornado (EF0) | Davenport | $500,000 | This tornado was rated an EF0, with an estimated peak wind speed of 80 MPH. Damage from this tornado included a few overturned train cars west of Carleton and overturned irrigation pivots. |
| September 2015 | Hail | Byron | $500,000 | Hail size ranged from 1 to 3 inches in diameter. |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Davenport | $500,000 | A line of thunderstorms with damaging wind gusts up to 80 MPH moved across the county. A measured gust of 76 MPH was recorded by a mesonet site 2 miles north-northeast of Davenport. Tree damage was reported in the Carleton and Bruning areas, with tree limbs up to 2 feet in diameter blown down. |
| May 2004 | Tornado (F1) | Deshler | $500,000 | A tornado damaged two farmsteads north of Byron. At one point, the tornado was up to one-quarter mile wide with a very clear path across a cornfield. At the first farm, the roof was torn from the house along with significant damage to the garage. It was a total loss. A machine shed was also ripped apart. At a second farm, damage as confined to metal buildings, grain bins and farm machinery. At one point, this was the largest of three tornadoes on the ground on the ground at one time. |
| June 2003 | Heavy Rain | Deshler | $500,000 | A heavy precipitation (HP) supercell dumped 10 to 15 inches of rain in western and northern Thayer County. At times, rain rates of 3 to 5 inches per hour were depicted by Doppler radar. |
| June 2001 | Tornado (F1) | Hubbell | $500,000 | Brief tornado in Thayer county reported by the public |
| July 2006 | Hail | Deshler | $500,000 | no account filed |
| September 1998 | Lightning | Hebron | $500,000 | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bruning | $400,000 | no account filed |
| April 2012 | Tornado (EF0) | Alexandria | $350,000 | This tornado touched down approximately 1.5 miles north of Alexandria and lifted approximately 2 miles north of Alexandria. Along its path, a home sustained minor siding and window damage, a grain bin was destroyed, small outbuildings lost siding, trees and power lines were damaged, and 2 center irrigation pivots were overturned. The maximum wind speed was estimated at 75 mph. |
| May 2023 | Hail | Carleton | $250,000 | Hail up to the size of golf balls was reported in Carleton. |
| June 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hebron | $250,000 | Wind gusts estimated to be near 70 MPH resulted in a the destruction of a wood frame outbuilding. A semi truck was also overturned. An irrigation pivot was flipped and a few power poles were leaning. |
| December 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Davenport | $250,000 | Wind gusts in the area included 83 MPH, measured by a mesonet station located one mile north-northeast of Davenport, and 72 MPH, measured by a mesonet station located two miles south-southeast of Davenport. Photos received from Facebook showed damaged irrigation pivots in the area. |
| May 2004 | Tornado (F0) | Chester | $250,000 | A small tornado was reported in southeast Thayer county. This was the final tornado of the day in south-central Nebraska. Damage was limited to trees, power poles and center pivot irrigation systems. |
| April 2005 | Hail | Bruning | $250,000 | no account filed |
| September 2003 | Flash Flood | Countywide | $250,000 | no account filed |
| June 1990 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| March 1990 | Tornado (F3) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| April 1986 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| April 1985 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| May 1980 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| October 1979 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| August 1977 | Tornado | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| April 1976 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| December 1975 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| June 1967 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| May 1957 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| June 1955 | Tornado (F4) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| June 2003 | Tornado (F0) | Deshler | $200,000 | The first of several tornadoes to occur in Thayer county. This tornado remained in open county and most damage was to pivots and power poles. |
| August 2007 | Flash Flood | Alexandria | $200,000 | no account filed |
| April 2016 | Flash Flood | Chester | $150,000 | Flash flooding struck western Thayer and eastern Nuckolls County on this Tuesday evening/night, thanks to a fairly narrow, north-south oriented swath of at least 4-6 inches of rain. The greatest flooding impacts occurred in the community of Deshler, as both the Spring Creek and Snake Creek flooded, along with general street flooding. The fire chief evacuated approximately 45 residents from a local nursing and assisted living home. A few residents on the south side of town on 4th Street were also evacuated. A person was trapped south of Snake Creek Bridge on 4th Street, due to the quickly rising water. Flooding also closed Highway 136 between Deshler and Ruskin for several hours, as storm chaser video depicted a roughly 200-yard stretch of water rushing across the highway three miles west of Deshler around 7:45 p.m. CDT. In addition to Highway 136, a number of rural county roads were covered with water due to flooding from nearby Spring Creek. Although general flooding of mainly low-lying areas persisted into the day of Wednesday the 27th, the worst of the more serious flash flooding eased during the pre-dawn hours. |
| May 2004 | Hail | Hubbell | $150,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Deshler | $150,000 | no account filed |
| June 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hebron | $150,000 | no account filed |
| May 2002 | Hail | Hubbell | $150,000 | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hubbell | $150,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Tornado (F0) | Chester | $150,000 | no account filed |
| May 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bruning | $100,000 | Wind gusts estimated to be near 70 MPH resulted in an overturned irrigation pivot four miles east of Bruning. |
| August 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hubbell | $100,000 | A wind gust of 63 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located three miles south-southeast of Gilead. Emergency management reported crop damage from Hubbell to Gilead, and minor roof damage to a hotel in Gilead. |
Every populated place in the county
13Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the nearest named watercourse or landform and the survey quadrangle it falls on.
-
Belvidere
Bruning precinct · 68315 · On South Fork Big Sandy Creek · Bruning quadrangle
12 sheets, 1898 to 1985
-
Davenport
Davenport precinct · 68335 · On Little Sandy Creek · Davenport quadrangle
12 sheets, 1898 to 1985
-
Stoddard
Chester precinct · 68370 · Chester quadrangle
13 sheets, 1898 to 1985
No longer a settlement
-
Williams
Chester precinct · 68429 · On Spring Branch · Hubbell quadrangle
11 sheets, 1955 to 1985
No longer a settlement
The vanished settlements of Thayer County: the places named above that are no longer on the map.
Provenance
- Topographic sheets. USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection, county index, measured from the bulk metadata.
- Fire insurance maps. Library of Congress Sanborn collection, faceted to this county.
- Photographs. Each place queried individually against the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs search.
- Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
- Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
- Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.