Ransom County

Ransom County was established 4 Jan 1873 and organized 4 Apr 1881. It is located in the southeastern part of the state. It was named for Fort Ransom, which in turn was named for Gen. Thomas Edward Greenfield Ransom (1834-1864) who died for the Union in the Civil War. Area ot the county is 863 square miles with the 1980 population at 6714. The county seat, Lisbon, was founded on September 25, 1880 by Joseph Colton, who was the first to homestead the area. Colton named the town Lisbon, after Lisbon, New York, where he had resided before moving to Frazee, Minnesota. A charter was signed on March 19, 1883. Colton became the first postmaster, the first chairman of the school board, the first county clerk and the first county register of deeds. Colton was defeated in an election to become the first mayor by two votes (G. B. Green won the position). Colton moved on to Ward County and founded the town of Burlington. He died in Florida in 1896.