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–Not graded
History · Ringling

Ringling’s post office opened in 1914, and 16% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1901 on and the census since 1920.

1914first post office
0on the National Register
16%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Renelibrary · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Ringling began, and where its name came from

When was Ringling founded?

1914

The Ringling post office opened in 1914, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 1,039 in 19202020 census: 869112 years

How did Ringling get its name?

Ringling was named for John Ringling, the founder of the Ringling Brothers Circus.

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

What stands out about Ringling’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 Ringling are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19013 editions of the USGS map, 1901 to 1986. Watch Ringling change.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,561 in 1980; 869 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Ringling’s collection

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

Ringling on the map, 1901 to 1986

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

Ringling on the 1901 USGS mapRingling on the 1974 USGS mapRingling on the 1986 USGS map1901Addington 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 Ringling.

People over time

Ringling, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001,600192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,561

Peaked at 1,561 in 1980; 869 people lived here in 2020.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

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

The story

How Ringling came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Ringling.

Read it all →

John Ringling and a partner, Jake Hamon, financed construction of the Oklahoma, New Mexico and Pacific Railway in 1913, to provide transportation to farmers and ranchers between Ardmore and Lawton. Construction began on May 1, 1913, at Ardmore and progressed westward. Oil was discovered in the Healdton field in August 1913. Seeing an opportunity to make big money in the oil business, Ringling and Hamon decided to divert the railroad toward Healdton, 10 miles (16 km) northeast of the town site. A post office was established during June 1914.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Ringling, 1901 to 1980

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1901On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  3. 1914Post officeThe Ringling post office opens
  4. 1980CensusPopulation peaks at 1,561
By decade

Ringling, decade by decade

Today1 recent
RinglingOklahoma1 (1 of 1)2017RinglingOklahoma1 (1 of 1)
Famous people

Famous people close to Ringling

Nobody well known was born in Ringling itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
R
Ron HowardAmerican film director, producer, and actor · b. 1954
Rue McClanahanAmerican actress and comedian · b. 1934
J
Jeane KirkpatrickAmerican diplomat and Presidential advisor · b. 1926
Hoyt AxtonAmerican musician · b. 1938
D
Don E. WilsonAmerican mammalogist · b. 1944
Bennie G. AdkinsUnited States Army Medal of Honor recipient · b. 1934
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

CornishIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Ringling’s history

What year was Ringling founded?

The Ringling post office opened in 1914, 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 →
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 (1), 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.