BlockBefore

Ralston, Oklahoma

13 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1932 and the latest in 1985. It stands in the Pawnee census division. It lies in ZIP code area 74650. It stands on Eagle Creek. The Survey maps it on the Fairfax quadrangle. 266 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 823 feet above sea level.

Ralston within Pawnee County

On record in Ralston

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register 1 record

Population over time

2 figures

Ralston fell from 330 to 266 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
2010330
2020266-64 (-19%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

5 surveys from 13 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Fires near this place

57 since 1999

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 57 fires within 5 miles of Ralston between 1999 and 2020, burning about 5,192 acres in total. 6 started naturally. 5 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Debris and open burning18
Equipment and vehicle use14
Missing data/not specified/undetermined8
Natural6
Arson/incendiarism5
Other causes2
Power generation/transmission/distribution2
Railroad operations and maintenance1
Fireworks1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
5 September 2019Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreOsage AgencyBOWMAN
31 August 2009Other causesunder an acreOsage AgencyMICHAEL'S
9 July 2013Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreOsage AgencyDRAINAGE
9 July 2013Equipment and vehicle use1.3 acresOsage AgencyHORSE
4 July 2014Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreOsage AgencyROUND MOUND
4 July 2012Naturalunder an acreOsage AgencyNURSE
3 July 2009Fireworksunder an acreOsage Agency8TH FAIR
3 July 2003Power generation/transmission/distributionunder an acreOsage AgencyWEBSTER

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Pawnee County

Mines and quarries near this place

9 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 9 workings within 5 miles of Ralston: 7 past producers, 2 producers. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken, Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Ralston PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Renfro PlantSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Pawnee QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Unknown Limestone QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Unknown Limestone QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Unknown Limestone QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Unknown Limestone QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Unknown Limestone QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Unknown Limestone QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer

Every working recorded in Pawnee County

Storms near this place

44 since 1995

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Ralston in 44 storm reports between 1995 and 2019: 18 thunderstorm wind, 17 hail, 4 flash flood, 3 flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
May 2007Flash FloodRalston$350,000The City of Pawnee received 3.25 inches of rain during the 24 hours ending 7 am CDT. This excessive rainfall caused substantial flooding of county roads, which resulted in major damage to several of them. Three bridges were also washed out.
April 2012HailRalston$5,000no account filed
July 2005Thunderstorm WindRalston$3,000Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew down large tree limbs and downed power lines.
May 2018Thunderstorm WindRalston$2,000Strong thunderstorm wind snapped large tree limbs and blew shingles off of roofs.
August 1999Thunderstorm WindRalston$100Large tree limbs were blown down.
July 1997Thunderstorm WindRalston$100no account filed
June 2019FloodRalston-The Arkansas River near Ralston rose above its flood stage of 16 feet at 10:45 pm CDT on May 20th. The river crested at 19.26 feet at 4:00 pm CDT on the 21st, resulting in moderate flooding. The river crested a second time at 22.14 feet at 6:00 am CDT on the 23rd, resulting in major flooding. This crest was the seventh highest stage on record. The river crested a third time at 21.99 feet at 6:30 am CDT on the 25th, and a fourth time at 22.03 feet at 7:15 am CDT on the 26th, both of which resulted in major flooding. Severe agricultural flooding occurred, and county roads were flooded. Monetary damage from this flood is unknown. The river remained above flood stage through the end of May, and finally fell below flood stage at 2:00 am CDT on June 1st.
May 2019FloodRalston-The Arkansas river near Ralston rose above its flood stage of 16 feet at 3:45 pm CDT on May 10th. The river crested at 17.93 feet at 5:00 am CDT on the 12th, resulting in moderate flooding. Agricultural land was flooded. The river fell below flood stage at 2:00 pm CDT on the 14th.
May 2019FloodRalston-The Arkansas River near Ralston rose above its flood stage of 16 feet at 10:45 pm CDT on May 20th. The river crested at 19.26 feet at 4:00 pm CDT on the 21st, resulting in moderate flooding. The river crested a second time at 22.14 feet at 6:00 am CDT on the 23rd, resulting in major flooding. This crest was the seventh highest stage on record. The river crested a third time at 21.99 feet at 6:30 am CDT on the 25th, and a fourth time at 22.03 feet at 7:15 am CDT on the 26th, both of which resulted in major flooding. Severe agricultural flooding occurred, and county roads were flooded. Monetary damage from this flood is unknown. The river remained above flood stage through the end of May, and finally fell below flood stage at 2:00 am CDT on June 1st.
May 2018Thunderstorm WindRalston-Strong thunderstorm wind snapped several large tree limbs.
April 2012Thunderstorm WindRalston-Strong thunderstorm wind blew down large tree limbs.
April 2012Thunderstorm WindRalston-Strong thunderstorm wind blew down large tree limbs.
April 2012Flash FloodRalston-Several county roads were briefly flooded near and just east of Ralston.
May 2012Flash FloodRalston-Several county roads were briefly flooded near and just east of Ralston.
June 2010Thunderstorm WindRalston-Strong thunderstorm wind blew down large tree limbs.
June 2008Thunderstorm WindRalston-Thunderstorm winds estimated at 60 miles an hour blew down numerous large tree limbs.
June 2008Thunderstorm WindRalston-Thunderstorm winds estimated at 60 miles an hour blew down a few large tree limbs.
June 2007Flash FloodRalston-Heavy rains caused flooding which required a few city streets to be barricaded.
July 2005Thunderstorm WindRalston-Thunderstorm winds estimated at 60 miles an hour blew down numerous large tree limbs.
April 2003Tornado (F0)Ralston-An off duty National Weather Service employee reported a brief tornado touchdown northwest of Ralston. No damage was reported.
September 1997Tornado (F0)Ralston-An isolated severe thunderstorm developed in western Osage County during the afternoon of September 8th and moved south into Pawnee County. The storm produced 2 brief tornadoes in open country. The tornadoes touched down at 1545CST 5 miles north of Fairfax and at 1620CST 2 miles northwest of Ralston. No structural damage occurred with the tornadoes, and both tornadoes were rated F0 in intensity.
August 1997Thunderstorm WindRalston-A severe thunderstorm produced 60 mile an hour winds in Ralston.
September 1995Thunderstorm WindRalston-Isolated severe thunderstorms moved across northeast Oklahoma during the late evening of September 11th. Strong thunderstorm winds downed several large tree limbs 10 miles west southwest of Burbank, and several large tree limbs up to four inches in diameter were blown down in Ralston.
April 2008HailRalston-no account filed
June 2008HailRalston-no account filed
June 2008Thunderstorm WindRalston-no account filed
March 2008HailRalston-no account filed
March 2008HailRalston-no account filed
April 2006HailRalston-no account filed
April 2006HailRalston-no account filed
June 2005Thunderstorm WindRalston-no account filed
August 2005HailRalston-no account filed
May 2003Thunderstorm WindRalston-no account filed
March 2002HailRalston-no account filed
May 2002HailRalston-no account filed
April 2000HailRalston-no account filed
May 2000HailRalston-no account filed
May 2000HailRalston-no account filed
May 2000HailRalston-no account filed
February 1999HailRalston-no account filed
May 1998HailRalston-no account filed
May 1997HailRalston-no account filed
June 1996Thunderstorm WindRalston-no account filed
July 1995Thunderstorm WindRalston-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Pawnee County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Jobes4.5 miles12
Masham7.5 miles11
Skedee8.7 miles12
Esau Junction10.5 miles12
Blackburn11.6 miles13
Pawnee12.1 miles11
Cody12.8 miles12
Watchorn15.2 miles11

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on RalstonAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q2032900The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1097021. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.