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–Not graded
History · Ogema

Ogema’s post office opened in 1906, and 30% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1969 on and the census since 1910.

1906first post office
0on the National Register
30%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Myotus · CC BY 4.0
Quick answers

How Ogema began

When was Ogema founded?

1906

The Ogema post office opened in 1906, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 171 in 19102020 census: 208120 years
Founding year: the first Ogema post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Ogema’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Ogema are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 328 in 1940; 208 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Ogema’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Ogema’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Ogema, census by census

0100200300192019401960198020002020Peak: 328

Peaked at 328 in 1940; 208 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Ogema’s Wikipedia page.

The story so far

Ogema, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Ogema yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Ogema is a city in Becker County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 208 at the 2020 census. The name Ogema is derived from the Ojibwe language ogimaa, meaning "chief".

Its first post office opened in 1906. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 184 to 208 (+13%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Ogema, 1906 to 1969

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 20th century
  2. 1906Post officeThe Ogema post office opens
  3. 1940CensusPopulation peaks at 328
  4. 1969On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Ogema, decade by decade

Today5 recent
United States Post Office2025United States Post OfficeOgema, Minnesota-012025Ogema, Minnesota-01Grocery store2025Grocery storeFire Department, Ogema, Minnesota-022025Fire Department, Ogema, Minnesota-02Businesses and community center on Main Street2025Businesses and community center on Main Street
On the map

Ogema on the map, 1969 to 1985

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Ogema. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Ogema on the 1969 USGS mapOgema on the 1985 USGS map1969Ogema sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Ogema.

Places that used to be

Places now gone

Ogema’s post office has been open since 1906.

Gone or out of use
Ogema Post Officepost office

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

White Earth TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townSpring Creek TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Ogema’s history

What year was Ogema founded?

The Ogema post office opened in 1906, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (5), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.