Thomas County was organized on October 8, 1885, by Andrew Reed; M. W. Witham; F. S. See; C. Hubbard; J. Monroe;
 W. H. Archer; A. B. Janline; Thomas Reed; Robert Jardine; W. H. Reed; Joseph and John Barcer; Frank and William Lord;
 J. W. Irwin; W. H. Miller; P. Huddleston; P. T. Turney; John Kuuntz; N. Byars; R. T. Heming; M. L. Lucey; E. Conway;
 D. C. Jardine; J. Davidson; Ira Jennings; M. Hamling; J. R. Colby; Peter Gallagher; John Kelly; Hugh Gallager; Joseph Spath;
 and John Brennan. The county was named for Major General George H. Thomas, of Civil War fame and contains the towns
 of Colby, Gem, Menlo, Rexford, Oakley (part) and Brewster.

 Railroads were important in Thomas County. The Union Pacific Railroad arrived in the county in 1887 and by 1888, three
 different lines of the Union Pacific, and the Rock Island, were all located there. The early real estate development in the
 county beginning in 1885 saw the population increase from 161 in January of that year, to over 1900 by October.
 The railroads contributed to this increase.