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History · Ravinia

Ravinia’s post office opened in 1909, and 39% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1964 on and the census since 1910.

1909first post office
0on the National Register
39%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Ravinia began

When was Ravinia founded?

1909

The Ravinia post office opened in 1909, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 81 in 19102020 census: 71117 years
Founding year: the first Ravinia post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Ravinia’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 Ravinia are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 200 in 1950; 71 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Ravinia’s homes were built before 1963.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Ravinia’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Ravinia’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
People over time

Ravinia, census by census

0100200192019401960198020002020Peak: 200

Peaked at 200 in 1950; 71 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

The story so far

Ravinia, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Ravinia yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Ravinia is a town in Charles Mix County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 71 at the 2020 census. Ravinia was laid out in 1909.

Its first post office opened in 1909. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 61 to 71 (+16%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Ravinia, 1909 to 1964

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1909Post officeThe Ravinia post office opens
  3. 1950CensusPopulation peaks at 200
  4. 1957Post officeThe Ravinia post office closes
  5. 1964On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Ravinia, decade by decade

Today1 recent
SDMap-doton-Ravinia2004SDMap-doton-Ravinia
On the map

Ravinia on the map, 1964 to 1986

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

Ravinia on the 1964 USGS mapRavinia on the 1986 USGS map1964Ravinia sheet · 1:24,000

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Ravinia

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

See all →
J. James ExonAmerican politician · b. 1921
Faith Spotted EagleAmerican political activist · b. 1948
Arthur ExonUnited States Air Force general · b. 1916
Doug EggersAmerican football player · b. 1930
E
Emily St. JamesAmerican writer and critic · b. 1982
Gregory R. DahlbergAmerican government official · b. 1951
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Ravinia had its own post office from 1909 to 1957.

Ravinia
1909–1957
19001960today

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

Questions about Ravinia’s history

What year was Ravinia founded?

The Ravinia post office opened in 1909, 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), 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.