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History · Ray

Ray’s post office opened in 1902, and 1 of its places is on the National Register

Most of Ray was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1983. Its Register listing is the Ray Opera House. Below: 12 old photos and papers, maps from 1911 on, and the census since 1910.

1902first post office
1on the National Register
9%homes built before 1940
12old photos & papers
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Ray’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Ray began

When was Ray founded?

1902

The Ray post office opened in 1902, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 436 in 19102020 census: 740124 years
Founding year: the first Ray post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Ray’s past

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

Boom and bustPeaked at 1,049 in 1960; 740 people lived here in 2020.A town in old photos12 old photos, postcards and papers, 1913–1937.On the map since 19113 editions of the USGS map, 1911 to 1983. Watch Ray change.
★ What stands out · People over time

Ray, census by census

02004006008001,000192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,049

Peaked at 1,049 in 1960; 740 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

By decade

Ray, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1910s to the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1910s–1930s12 items
Ray, N. Dak1913Ray, N. DakFuneral of Dillon Family1913Funeral of Dillon FamilyRay, N. Dak1914Ray, N. DakDrugstore1937DrugstoreStreet scene1937Street sceneDrugstore window1937Drugstore windowDrugstore window1937Drugstore windowInterior of general store. Ray, North Dakota1937Interior of general store. Ray, North DakotaInterior of general store. Ray, North Dakota1937Interior of general store. Ray, North DakotaInterior of general store. Ray, North Dakota1937Interior of general store. Ray, North DakotaInterior of bank at Ray, North Dakota1937Interior of bank at Ray, North DakotaInterior of general store. Ray, North Dakota1937Interior of general store. Ray, North Dakota
1940s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
On the map

Ray on the map, 1911 to 1983

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

Ray on the 1911 USGS mapRay on the 1978 USGS mapRay on the 1983 USGS map1911Ray sheet · 1:125,000

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

The story

How Ray came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Ray.

Read it all →

Ray was founded in 1902. The city was named in honor of William G. Ray, a railroad official. A post office has been in operation at Ray since 1902.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Ray, 1902 to 1982

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1902Post officeThe Ray post office opens
  3. 1911On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  4. 1913In the archiveRay, N. Dak
  5. 1921Born hereMary Sherman Morgan is born here
  6. 1937In the archiveDrugstore
  7. 1960CensusPopulation peaks at 1,049
  8. 1982Born hereErin Oban is born here
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Ray, N. Dak
Retake this viewRay, N. Dak, 1913

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Ray’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

1 historic place in Ray

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

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
1978
Ray Opera House
Ray Opera House
Buildings
Ray Opera HouseBuilding

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Ray

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Mary Sherman MorganAmerican rocket fuel scientist · b. 1921
Erin ObanAmerican teacher and politician · b. 1982
Help out

Finish Ray’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewRay, N. Dak: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Ray’s history

What year was Ray founded?

The Ray post office opened in 1902, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Ray?

One place: the Ray Opera House (listed 1978).

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 the Library of Congress (12), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.