Page Contents for Ross, North Dakota

Statistics & Facts

Historical Events

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Statistics & Facts

The North Dakota state capital is Bismarck.
The population of Ross is approximately 61 (1990), 97 (2010).
The approximate number of families is 40 (1990), 46 (2010).
The amount of land area in Ross is 0.723 sq. kilometers.
The amount of surface water is 0 sq kilometers.
The distance from Ross to Washington DC is 1497 miles.
The distance to the North Dakota state capital is 135 miles. (as the crow flies)
Ross is positioned 48.31 degrees north of the equator and 102.54 degrees west of the prime meridian.

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Ross Historical Events

1930's to present
First Islamic Mosque in the USA
The First Islamic mosque in the U.S. is and was located about one and one half miles east of Ross, North Dakota, about one half mile south of US highway number two. just south of the former Glenn and Ruth Meiers farm. It was established prior to the nineteen hundreds, the most recent Mosque may have been built in the 1930's. However, many of the Islamic families had immigrated to the Ross area prior to the 1910's. As there was an Islamic community in Canada prior to the 1910s, and the families told me of moving from Winnipeg to North Dakota. and homesteading. My grandfather came to North Dakota in the 1890s and had Islamic neighbors at that time, my Meiers grandfather came about 1900, and had neighbors homesteading on at least two sides of his homestead. The Islamic families worshiped in each others homes prior to the Mosque built in the 30s' and now do again.
The Mosque was torn down in the 1980s'. However, on that site, there still exists the cemetery. which contains many graves of the Islamic Families. The Cemetery is maintained by the local Islamic families and can be visited by the public. Most probably, the Rose Hill Cemetery in Ross was not used by the Islamic residents. The Cemetery is located about one and one half miles east of Ross North Dakota. And one half mile south of US # 2 highway. There are several families whose members are buried there. The cemetery is maintained by the families of the Islamic Mosque's members who are buried there. It is well kept and open for visitation to the public.
Several families of the Islamic Mosque still live and farm in the area. There is still also a vital Islamic community, which now worships in each others homes from week to week. Those elderly of the Islamic religion, in the community, worship daily in the traditional manner. and observe all the Islamic holy days and holidays. They also observe the traditional Islamic life styles and dietary regiment. Many of the Women have established local markets for traditional Islamic food items which have become vary popular
Many still practice the traditional Islamic life style. There are a number of local families, and, through marriage, many have been assimilated into the local families, with a variety of European names. But for the greater part, the families still retain their Islamic heritages.
My family had two members who married members of the Islamic families, thus I have several aunts and uncles and cousins from the heritage. The number of Islamic kids in school with me, probably made up at least one quarter of the class.
Submitted by Jerald Meiers