Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Fort Ransom

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
–Not graded
History · Fort Ransom

Fort Ransom’s post office opened in 1880, and 25% of its homes were built before 1940

1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 6 buildings.

1880first post office
1on the National Register
25%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Fort Ransom began, and where its name came from

When was Fort Ransom founded?

1880

The Fort Ransom post office opened in 1880, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 91146 years

How did Fort Ransom get its name?

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

Founding year: the first Fort Ransom post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Fort Ransom’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 are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Fort Ransom’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Fort Ransom’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
The story

How Fort Ransom came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Fort Ransom.

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, 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 National Register

1 listing protects 6 historic buildings

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

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
6
each building in a district counts
first listed
1979
Walker, T. J., Historic District
Walker, T. J., Historic District
Districts
Walker, T. J., Historic DistrictDistrict

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

Questions about Fort Ransom’s history

What year was Fort Ransom founded?

The Fort Ransom post office opened in 1880, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Fort Ransom?

One place: the Walker, T. J., Historic District (listed 1979).

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 (2), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.