Editing Jayton, Texas (section)

==History==
Jayton's history begins in the 1880s. Originally known as "Jay Flat", it was established {{convert|2|mi|0}} northeast of its present location and named after a local ranching family. A post office was granted in 1886, and Daniel Jay served as the community's first postmaster. In 1907, the townsite was moved to its present location for improved proximity to [[railroad|rail service]], and it was officially renamed "Jayton" later that same year. The community's first newspaper, the Jayton ''Herald'', was established the following year, and the city incorporated in February 1910. By 1925, Jayton was home to 750 residents.

From the community's inception, the local economy had originally been supported mainly by the [[cotton]] industry, but the [[Dust Bowl]] of the 1930s had a dire effect on production. The community's economy was stabilized by the discovery of [[petroleum|oil]] later that same decade, and while its population never exceeded 750, Jayton remained stable throughout the [[Great Depression in the United States|Great Depression]]. In 1954, following a lengthy and heated court battle, the city wrested the title of [[county seat]] from the declining nearby community of [[Clairemont, Texas|Clairemont]], and in 1957, a courthouse was constructed. Jayton's population remained around 600 from the 1950s through the [[1980 census]] before declining to 513 in 1990 and 441 in 2000, but a resurgence in the local oil industry led to a rebound, and the [[2010 United States Census|2010 census]] counted 534 residents.