Ramona came into existence in 1886 when the Milwaukee Land Company purchased the land and platted the town, and the Milwaukee Railroad built a line running north from Madison to Bristol. The man who later became the town barber, Herman "Barb" Witt, broke the sod on the slope which is now Main Street with a team of three oxen and a plow.

The name Ramona superseded the former name of Nakomas on April 6, 1887, though until 1901 it was spelled Romona rather than the present Ramona. Ramona was chosen to honor the donor of the land, Richard Pearce, who had a daughter with that name.

The first building was a wooden framed building which housed a pool hall, with the upstairs as a dance hall and was built by Gottlieb Honneger. The general store, owned by John O'Donnell, was the second building.  There was considerable building during 1887 & again in 1890.

Fire was a constant threat to the residents due to an absence of a ready supply of water. So in September 1904, the townspeople passed a $6000 bond for drilling a new well. In 1914 water mains were put in throughout the town.

When Ramona was at its height in the 1930's the population was 350 people. The town consisted of 2 churches, a school, 2 hardware stores, 2 general stores, one drugstore, 2 blacksmiths, one meat market, 2 implement dealers, five grain elevators, a stockyard, four cream stations and produce markets, two ice dealers, a furniture store, undertaker parlor, one hotel, Ritter jewelry & watch repair shop, a livery and sale bar, one pool hall, a moving picture theater, three restaurants, two dray lines, one doctor, a newspaper and printing office, two lumber yards, two barber shops, a harness store and repair shop, numerous saloons, the Post Office, several gas stations/garages, two banks and a Farmers Cooperative Creamery.

North Side Main Street - Circa 1913

South Side Main Street - Circa 1913

Main Street Looking East

Having had telegraph service since 1892, Ramona then sought telephone service, and in February 1904 a franchise was given to Dakota Central Telephone Line, Inc. Poles were erected, wires strung and and office was established for an operator, relief operator, and a switchboard.

Ramona's first electric plant provided power from 7:00pm until 11:00pm each evening, as well as Monday mornings to enable the women in town to do their laundry. At 10:45 each night, the lights were blinked to warn everyone that power would be shut off in 15 minutes, at at exactly 11:00pm, the power was shut off. This went on until 1926 when the high-line came to Ramona, providing electricity twenty-four hours a day, allowing everyone to use the modern conveniences that were available.

Aerial View of Ramona - 1974

*pictures and info taken from Ramona Centennial History book 1886-1986*