Brewster | Colby | Gem | Halford | Levant | Menlo | Mingo | Otterbourne | Rexford
Homesteading in Thomas County
Otterbourne
The first town in Thomas County was laid out and platted by Mary Hay, one of the most colorful personalities in the history of the county. She arrived in 1880 and homesteaded on the south fork of the Sappa Creek with her father. With no training in any of these areas, she soon became a minister, a doctor, and a farmer, as well as the first superintendent of Thomas County schools. The town of Otterbourne never succeeded despite of the best intentions of Miss Hay.
The ethnicity of its settlers is unknown.
Sources
Wingo, Wayne C. A History of Thomas County. Masters Thesis, Fort Hays Kansas State College, 1964.
Bruner, R. I., Editor. Land of the Windmills Thomas County, Kansas. Thomas County Historical Society, 1976.