Founded by Tom Elliott in 1882, the town of Elliott was at one time a thriving business center. Elliott, who was a lover of good horses, platted and unusual town site, the main feature of which was a race track. If the railroad thought Brampton, Coggswell and Harlem had been completed as far as Elliott, its history might have been quite different.
In its early days the town handled a quantity of merchandise for inland towns in Sargent county. This business ended with the building of the N.P. branch line from Wahpeton, to Oakes, creating the towns of Gwinner, and Stirum. For some years the county fair was held in Elliott and the town was known for its July 4th Celebrations. The drought and depression of the Thirties was the beginning of the end although the town still has the largest grain market in the county.
Source: Ransom County History, by S.M. Thorfinnson,
Ransom County Historical Society, Publishers 1975
*Page last updated 5/17/2025