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History · Ranier

Ranier’s post office opened in 1908, and 13% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listings are the Finstad's Auto Marine Shop and the Ranier Community Building. Below: maps from 1919 on and the census since 1910.

1908first post office
2on the National Register
13%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Ranier began

When was Ranier founded?

1908

The Ranier post office opened in 1908, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 190 in 19102020 census: 569118 years
Founding year: the first Ranier post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Ranier’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 Ranier are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost a third of its people between 1960 and 2010, then grew 3-fold.On the map since 19194 editions of the USGS map, 1919 to 1999. Watch Ranier change.Old housesHalf of Ranier’s homes were built before 1963.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Ranier’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Ranier’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

Ranier, census by census

0100200300400500600192019401960198020002020262 in 1960Low: 145

Lost a third of its people between 1960 and 2010, then grew 3-fold.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

On the map

Ranier on the map, 1919 to 1999

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

Ranier on the 1919 USGS mapRanier on the 1969 USGS mapRanier on the 1983 USGS mapRanier on the 1999 USGS map1919International Falls sheet · 1:62,500

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

The story so far

Ranier, in brief

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

Ranier rə-NEER) is a city in Koochiching County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 569 at the 2020 census. Ranier is located east of the city of International Falls, along State Highway 11 (MN 11). Fort Frances, Ontario is located directly across the river. Incorporated in 1908, the small village of Ranier began as a lively pioneer town filled with people eager to make their mark in the northland. Businesses sprang up all over Ranier, including hotels, grocers, saloons, and brothels. During prohibition, this little boom town gained a gnarly reputation. Illegal booze was the name of the game and everyone in Ranier was playing. Being the port of entry into Canada and being situated…

Its first post office opened in 1908. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 145 to 569 (+292%).

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

Timeline

Ranier, 1908 to 2020

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1908Post officeThe Ranier post office opens
  3. 1919On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  4. 21st century
  5. 2020CensusPopulation peaks at 569
By decade

Ranier, decade by decade

Today6 recent
International Bridge2012International BridgeRanier P7120411 rail approach2009Ranier P7120411 rail approachRanier P7120410 Lift Bridge2009Ranier P7120410 Lift BridgeRanier P7120409 RR Stn2009Ranier P7120409 RR StnBig Vic P7130460 022009Big Vic P7130460 02Big Vic P7130460 012009Big Vic P7130460 01
On the National Register

2 historic places in Ranier

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
1983
Finstad's Auto Marine Shop
Finstad's Auto Marine ShopRanier Community Building
Buildings
Finstad's Auto Marine ShopBuilding
All 2 listings
Ranier Community BuildingBuilding · listed 2018

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Ranier

Nobody well known was born in Ranier itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Tammy Faye MessnerAmerican evangelist · b. 1942
M
Mike CurranAmerican ice hockey goaltender · b. 1944
K
Kevin ConstantineAmerican ice hockey player and coach · b. 1958
R
Robert RompreAmerican ice hockey player · b. 1929
B
Bob MasonAmerican ice hockey goaltender · b. 1961
Places that used to be

Old corners

Ranier’s post office has been open since 1908.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Falls JunctionJameson

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.

International Falls2 historic placesB−

Questions about Ranier’s history

What year was Ranier founded?

The Ranier post office opened in 1908, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Ranier?

Two places: the Finstad's Auto Marine Shop (listed 1983) and the Ranier Community Building (2018).

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 (6), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.