A BRIEF HISTORY OF ELK RIVER
By Stephen Rohlf
May 17, 2000

The last glacier in Minnesota heaped up coarse materials in front of itself as it advanced across the state like a giant bulldozer. When it retreated, it left behind a band of rolling hills made up of sand and gravel running diagonally across the state from northwest to southeast. This band of hills, called terminal moraine, are forested with hardwoods. Elk River is situated in this terminal moraine, which is the reason why gravel mining is so prevalent within the city and much of the area is not considered good farmland.

The finer materials deposited to the south of the terminal moraine, called an outwash plain, is typified by prairie habitat. Elk River is located on the edge, between the woods and the prairie. This natural boundary between prairie and woods was also the boundary between Indian nations.

As the Dakota retreated southward from the advancing Ojibwa nation, clashes occurred. Two battles between these enemies took place where the Elk River meets the Mississippi River in 1772 and 1773. Both tribes ceded the area of land that includes present day Sherburne County to the United States in 1837.

The English translation of the Ojibwe name for the Elk River is "Double River", so named because it paralleled the Mississippi River. Whites called it the St. Francis River. Nicollet's map of 1843 called the Elk River's northern most tributary the St. Francis River, as it is known today, and used the Ojibwe name for the Elk River. Because of the large herds of woodland elk in the area, Zebulon Pike named it the Elk River. From 1850 on the river has been called the Elk River.

In 1846, David Faribault built a trading post on a bluff north of the Elk River over looking the Mississippi River. In 1848, Pierre Bottineau bought the trading post from Faribault. The site was a good location for business being at the conjunction of two rivers and with a branch of the Red River Trail passing nearby.

Ard Godfrey, a native of Orono Maine, saw the potential of the waterpower in Elk River and built a dam and saw mill in 1851. The lake resulting from this dam extended from approximately the present dam to Orono Cemetery Point and was called the Mill Pond. Pilings from what is believed to be part of the original dam or an associated bridge can be seen just down stream from the present dam. Gristmills and also a starch factory that took advantage of the potato fields to the west of Elk River were built to serve the burgeoning agricultural economy in the latter half of the 19th century.

In 1855, the area by the dam was platted and the town of Orono (known as Upper Town) was created. With the military road to Fort Ripley passing nearby the population continued to grow. Between 1849 and 1857, the population expanded from 7 people to 134 and the first schoolhouse was built. In 1872, the Village of Elk River, which included the original town of Orono, became the Sherburne County seat.

The Orono-Elk River area continued to grow until it reached a population of 723 in 1860. The Civil War slowed this growth, but it exploded afterward. By 1870 the population had swelled to 2,050. The early settlers coming to Elk River were typically from New England. The trend after 1870 was toward settlers from Northern Europe.

Around this same time, the recently completed railroads began to compete with the rivers as the main focus of transportation and Lower Town (the present historic business district of Elk River) became the focus of commerce. By the mid-1870's, Lower Town had approximately 18 businesses along State Street, a two block stretch paralleling the north side of the tracks in the approximate location of today's Railroad Drive.

Lower Town suffered a series of fires during the 1880's and 1890's, including a major fire in 1898. In an attempt to avoid future fires, the "Brick Block" was built. This is the area between present day US Trunk Highway 10 and Main Street on the west side of Jackson Avenue. With the Brick Block, what is now considered the historic downtown area of Elk River became the center of commerce

In the 1890's, another ethnic group moved to Elk River Township. The Hungarians settled in the area north of the Village of Elk River near what is now US Trunk Highway 169 giving it the unusual distinction of being the only documented Hungarian farming community in the United States.

The Mill Pond dam was destroyed in an ice storm in 1912. By this time agriculture had replaced lumber as the basis of Elk River's economy. However, hydropower gave a new incentive to dam the Elk River. A new dam was completed late in the year 1915, which created the four lobes of Lake Orono as we know it today. In early 1916, the Village of Elk River received electricity for the first time. However, it would not be until after World War II that the entire Township of Elk River would receive electricity.

The Red River Trail crossing the Elk River in the location of the dam became the Jefferson Highway in the early 1920's. The Sherburne County Star News (now the Elk River Star News) reported that on Labor Day in 1920, more than 4,000 cars passed over a newly constructed bridge next to the dam. Being a major route between the Twin Cities and the lake country to the north and west, the Jefferson Highway was one of the first paved highways in the state.

Charles Babcock, a native son of Elk River and also the first Commissioner of Highways for the state, implemented a visionary plan to "get Minnesota out of the mud". His plan was to build a network of paved roads throughout the state to improve transportation and consequently the state's economy. His plan became a model for the rest of the nation.

The military road to Fort Ripley stayed north of the Elk River until it crossed it at a rapids near Big Lake Township. Also in general vicinity of this crossing, a man named A. W. Jesperson did massive amounts of rerouting of the Elk River in the mid 1920's. His vision was to create a recreational resort area and he platted the Camp Cozy Additions. Cement pillars and other works can still be seen amongst the many backwaters of the Elk River that resulted from Mr. Jesperson's work.

In the late 1930's, work began to reroute the Jefferson Highway, now as US Trunk Highway #10. Heading east to west, Old Highway 10 followed the same route it does now until it reached 4th Street by the Dairy Queen. It then followed 4th Street to Main Street and crossed the Elk River at the dam bridge. This work was postpone due to World War II and was not completed until 1948.

Jackson Avenue north of Highway10 used to be the location of US Trunk Highway 169. The former intersection of Highways 10 and 169 was the only one in the city with a stoplight. On major travel weekends the traffic would back up towards Anoka as far as the weigh station. Work on bypassing Elk River with Highway 169 began in 1961.

In 1968, work began on the new route for Highway 101 between Elk River and Rogers. Prior to this new route, Highway 101 snaked through the countryside and had many sharp turns. The construction of Interstate 94 through Rogers and the recent upgrading of Highway 101 to four lanes will increase Elk River's growth rate.

In 1978, the Village of Elk River and the Township of Elk River consolidated to create the City of Elk River. The result was one of the largest land based cities in the state at 44 square miles.

The City of Elk River had a mild building boom in the late 1960's/early 1970's. The city's population growth then slowed until the mid-1980's, when it exploded. The City of Elk River now has a population of over 17,000 people. Once again, transportation is dictating where commercial growth takes place as new businesses spring up along the Highway 169 corridor.

Besides transportation, energy has always played a major role in shaping Elk River. The first rural nuclear power plant in the United States went on line in 1960 at the current Great River Energy site in Elk River and the city was nicknamed "Atomic City". Intended only as a demonstration site the power plant was shut down and dismantled after several years of successful operation.

The Great River Energy power plant was converted to burn refuse derived fuel in the late 1980's. This innovative source of energy being located in Elk River was one of the factors that help the city receive the designation of "Energy City" from the Minnesota Environmental Initiative in October of 1997. As such, the city will be the geographical focal point for the energy industry to demonstrate renewable energy and energy efficient technologies that are on the cutting edge of science. The distinction of Energy City is unique in the world to Elk River.

Elk River is the fastest growing community in the fastest growing county per capita in the state. It will be a challenge in the future to preserve Elk River's small town atmosphere and its unique heritage.