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Community Hall - Fort Ransom, North Dakota 6-12-2008Photo: Andrew Filer from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) · CC BY-SA 2.0
–Not graded
History · Fort Ransom Township

Fort Ransom Township dates to 1880, and 33% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1953 on and the census since 1980.

1880founded
0on the National Register
33%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Andrew Filer from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers

How Fort Ransom Township began, and where its name came from

When was Fort Ransom Township founded?

1880

Fort Ransom Township dates its founding to 1880 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1980.

First census: 99 in 19802020 census: 65146 years

How did Fort Ransom Township get its name?

Fort Ransom Township was named for distinguished Civil War veteran Major General Thomas E.G. Ransom.

Founding year: Wikipedia. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Fort Ransom Township’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 Fort Ransom Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
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Start Fort Ransom Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Fort Ransom Township’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story

How Fort Ransom Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Fort Ransom Township.

Read it all →

The Fort Ransom Military Post was established in 1867. It was built to protect settlers and railroad workers who were working on the Northern Pacific Railroad between Fargo and Bismarck. It was named for distinguished Civil War veteran Major General Thomas E.G. Ransom. The fort was built on top of Grizzly Bear Hill, a site chosen by Brigadier General Alfred H. Terry.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Fort Ransom Township, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Fort Ransom2008Fort RansomCommunity Hall - Fort Ransom, North Dakota 6-12-20082008Community Hall - Fort Ransom, North Dakota 6-12-2008
On the map

Fort Ransom Township on the map, 1953 to 1975

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

Fort Ransom Township on the 1953 USGS mapFort Ransom Township on the 1962 USGS mapFort Ransom Township on the 1975 USGS map1953Fargo sheet · 1:250,000

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

People over time

Fort Ransom Township, census by census

0100198020002020Peak: 111

Between 70 and 111 people in every census since 1980.

5 censuses, 1980–2020.

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Hanson TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townSpringer TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBlack Loam TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townNorthland TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Fort Ransom Township’s history

What year was Fort Ransom Township founded?

In 1880, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. the census of 1980 counted 99 people here.

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
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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 (2), Wikidata (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.