Ripley is located on the Cimarron River in southeastern Payne County, Oklahoma. The Santa Fe railroad initiated the development of Ripley, which was named after the railroad's president. Lots were sold at auction on January 13, 1900. Three months later the Ripley Times reported that the town was bustling with one thousand dwellers.

The Santa Fe depot was the hub of the town, with several passenger trains arriving daily. The depot's restaurant, a Harvey House operated by the Fred Harvey Company, served lunch to passengers. When the first wagon bridge across the Cimarron was completed on July 31, 1900, the town celebrated until 1:30 in the morning.

In addition to the railroad, agriculture was the community's primary source of income. In the 1910s and 1920s, oil fields near Cushing, Ingalls, Clayton, and Mehan raised hopes for Ripley. After the stock market crash of 1929 reduced oil activity, the onset of the Great Depression sent the town into an economic decline. When a 1957 flood washed out the railroad bridge, Ripley's chances for economic development were greatly reduced.

[Information pulled from the Oklahoma Historical Society: Carla S. Chlouber, "Ripley," The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entr.]