Ralston was originally part of The Ralston-Purina Company which was formed in 1902. The name Ralston stems from a minor social movement in the late 19th Century called Ralstonism - created by Webster Edgerly. Followers of the movement (about 800,000) followed the motto "Regime, Activity, Light, Strength, Temperation, Oxygen and Nature" - the first letters of which spelled out "Ralston".