About Deshler
Deshler is a village in southern Thayer County, in south central Nebraska. It sits on Highway 136, roughly 12 miles from the Kansas border, with Lincoln about 100 miles to the north-east. The 2020 census counted 739 residents. The village covers about half a square mile at an elevation of 1,552 feet.
History
Deshler was established in 1887, when the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad was extended to that point. The village takes its name from John G. Deshler, who owned the original town site.
Work and land
The economy is agricultural, with cattle, grain sorghum and wheat as the main products. Thayer County holds more than 700 farms averaging about 510 acres, and roughly 31 per cent of the farm ground is irrigated. Reinke Manufacturing, one of the largest businesses in the county, is located in Deshler. The country nearby draws hunters after pheasant, quail, deer and other small game, and the Little Blue River is fished for catfish.
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Deshler, Thayer County's second city (after Hebron), was founded in 1887 with the arrival of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad and named for town-site owner John G. Deshler. Once touted as a regional industrial hub, the town today centers on its historic opera house and small-town agricultural economy.
Deshler's 2020 population of 739 reflects the gradual contraction common to small Nebraska railroad towns, but it remains one of Thayer County's two incorporated cities and a steady community anchor in the county's southeast.
Navigate & Explore Deshler
Get directions: search "Deshler Nebraska" in Waze or Google Maps
Road Conditions: Nebraska 511 — 511.nebraska.gov
Thayer County County Cameras: View Thayer County County cameras