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History · Ross

Ross’ post office opened in 1902, and 29% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1953 on and the census since 1960.

1902first post office
0on the National Register
29%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Andrew Filer from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers

How Ross began

When was Ross founded?

1902

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

First census: 167 in 19602020 census: 95124 years
Founding year: the first Ross post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

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

Start Ross’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Ross’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 Ross came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Ross.

Read it all →

Ross was founded in 1902. It was the site of one of the oldest mosques in the United States, formed by Muslim homesteaders. Established in 1929, the mosque fell into disrepair and was dismantled. In 2005, the edifice was rebuilt by the family of one of the last remaining Muslims in the area. The community that built the mosque were Syrian-Lebanese immigrants who settled the region starting in the late 19th century to take advantage of the Homestead Act. The mosque was featured on NPR's Weekend Edition on September 12, 2010.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Ross, decade by decade

Today10 recent
You'll have to use your imagination to picture this sunflower field in full, bright-yellow bloom a few months ahead of …2021You'll have to use your imagination to picture this s…Bright-red farm buildings stand out against their late-fall brown surroundings near Ross, North Dakota2021Bright-red farm buildings stand out against their lat…Grain cars look tiny next to these enormous silos near Ross, North Dakota2021Grain cars look tiny next to these enormous silos nea…Ross, North Dakota2008Ross, North DakotaRoss, North Dakota2008Ross, North DakotaRoss, North Dakota2008Ross, North DakotaRoss, North Dakota2008Ross, North DakotaRoss, North Dakota2008Ross, North DakotaRoss, North Dakota2008Ross, North DakotaCommunity Building in Ross, North Dakota 10-18-20082008Community Building in Ross, North Dakota 10-18-2008
On the map

Ross on the map, 1953 to 1981

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

Ross on the 1953 USGS mapRoss on the 1974 USGS mapRoss on the 1981 USGS map1953Williston 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 Ross.

People over time

Ross, census by census

01001960198020002020Peak: 167

Between 48 and 167 people in every census since 1960.

7 censuses, 1960–2020.

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

Questions about Ross’ history

What year was Ross founded?

The Ross post office opened in 1902, 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 →
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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 (7), the Library of Congress (3), Wikipedia, 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.