During the Ancien Régime, Crana belonged to the "Squadra" of Crana which included the territory of Vocaglia, Comologno and Spruga, and was part of the old municipality of Onsernone. The modern village was created during the institutional changes of the Act of Mediation in 1803. Crana is known for the over 5,000 holders of "heimatrecht" in the village. The "heimatrecht" is similar to place of birth in other countries, and the "heimatort" is used on Swiss passports. A person maintains their "heimatort" regardless of whether they have ever lived in the municipality. The reason for the high number of "heimatrecht" holders is that the village sold the "heimatrecht", which conferred local citizenry (and thus Swiss citizenship) to help make up for the low village income.