Thayne, WY

Thayne sits in Lower Star Valley along the Salt River, with Wyoming Highway 89 running through the valley. The first permanent home in what is now town went up in 1887; a log church followed in 1891, and that building also served as the first school. The post office and first store arrived under the name Thayne on May 8, 1891, after local residents pushed for an official office. The name stuck as the settlement's center took shape around the river road.

Today's local map still ties old institutions to the landscape. Lincoln County School District No. 2 serves the town, and the Thayne Branch Library sits on Van Noy Parkway as part of the county library system. Three miles south, the Salt River-Diversion public access area has a boat launch, fishing, camping, and space for waterfowl. Thayne feels like a Star Valley town in the literal sense: a school, library, and road grid set beside a river that still provides the easiest way to read the valley.