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PrintFriendly.com: Print web pages, create PDFs Page 2 of 3 <br />Hanafin Berg noted that the Preservation Alliance had named the Elk River water tower one of the 10 most <br />endangered historic places in Minnesota in 2011. "We are extremely pleased to see that the community <br />has pursued National Register designation,' she wrote. <br />The water tower is owned by the city of Elk River and was nominated for the National Register by the city's <br />Heritage Preservation Commission. <br />The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of America's historic places. <br />A slgn near the chamber office alerts motorists that they are <br />entering historic downtown Elk River. The water tower is <br />visible in the background. <br />Gardner said the water tower was built in 1920 by the Minneapolis Steel and Machinery Co. <br />"The elevated tank is what is known as a hemispherical bottom, a name derived from its design which <br />includes ahalf-globe-shaped bottom," he said. <br />The design was common from the 1890s to about 1940, he said. <br />The water tower was part of an effort to protect Elk River from fire. <br />The village of Elk River was incorporated in 1881. Before the water tower was built in 1920, the <br />.. community relied on a water tank and a length of hose belonging to the Great Northern Railway. <br />"The Elk River water tower was the community's response to fire, which devastated the business district in <br />1898. The town experienced additional fires in 1902, 1903 and 1915," Gardner said. <br />Insurance companies threatened to increase fire insurance premiums if the community didn't install <br />adequate fire protection and, ultimately did raise premiums. That spurred Elk River to update its fire <br />protection system. <br />'The adequate fire protection included the creation of a permanent fire department, including a <br />motorized fire truck, as well as a modern reserve water supply system which is represented by this <br />tower," Gardner said. <br />There are five water towers of this type in Minnesota in the National Register, Gardner said. All five are on <br />the Iron Range at Ironton, Trommald, Deerwood, Cuyuna and Crosby. No one knows how many others are <br />left, because no study has been done, he said. <br />http://www.printfriendly.com/print?tul=http%3A%2F%2Ferstatnews.com%2F2012%2F03... 4/4/2012 <br />