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History · Ragan

Ragan dates to 1886, and 38% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1896 on and the census since 1900.

1886founded
0on the National Register
38%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Ragan began, and where its name came from

When was Ragan founded?

1886

Ragan dates its founding to 1886 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1900.

First census: 208 in 19002020 census: 22140 years

How did Ragan get its name?

Ragan was named after a railroad-company lawyer.

Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1887. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Ragan’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 Ragan are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18963 editions of the USGS map, 1896 to 1986. Watch Ragan change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Ragan’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Ragan’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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On the map

Ragan on the map, 1896 to 1986

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

Ragan on the 1896 USGS mapRagan on the 1970 USGS mapRagan on the 1986 USGS map1896Holdrege 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 Ragan.

The story

How Ragan came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Ragan.

Read it all →

Ragan was platted in 1886 when the St. Joseph and Grand Island Railway was extended to that point. It was named after a railroad-company lawyer.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Ragan, 1886 to 1896

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1886
    FoundingRagan is established
  3. 1887Post officeThe Ragan post office opens
  4. 1896On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Ragan, decade by decade

Today4 recent
Ragan, Nebraska from E 12013Ragan, Nebraska from E 1Ragan, Nebraska elevator 12013Ragan, Nebraska elevator 1Ragan, Nebraska downtown 12013Ragan, Nebraska downtown 1NEMap-doton-Ragan2005NEMap-doton-Ragan
People over time

Ragan, census by census

01002001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 222

Between 22 and 222 people in every census since 1900.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

Places that used to be

Places now gone

Ragan’s post office has been open since 1887.

Gone or out of use
RaganlocaleRagan Schoolschool

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Ragan’s history

What year was Ragan founded?

In 1886, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Ragan’s post office opened in 1887, and the census of 1900 counted 208 people here.

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 (4), 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.