6.2. HRSR 05-28-2002 - Laserfiche WebLink

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• Governor Ramsey,as well as the North Star and H.M.Rice, new boats that began service in 1855.The service was prone to low seasonal water levels and did not compete with rail service and was generally discontinued by 1874. However,the Davis Island Boom Company and other lumber interests operated steamboats and a variety of craft for logging operations;the 1900 census for Elk River notes that two young natives of Quebec,John Ward and Humphrey Guane(?),were among those employed as river drivers. Conflicting with steamboat traffic,the dramatic log drives of timber from the northern pineries were a seasonal event along the river,with the traffic handled by boom companies. Ferry at Elk River in about 1900.Photo:MHS. tstiew a -v Peti ,. ,�-�. - mss. Several early ferries shuttling passengers and goods across the Mississippi were attempted in the mid 1850s,but the one established in 1867 by Horatio Houlton appears to have succeeded.35 The 1879 View of Elk River,Sherburne County locates it just behind Horatio Houlton's Sawmill. Another ferry route at the foot of Jackson Street is shown on the 1903 Map of Elk River. The St. Paul and Pacific Railroad The arrival of the St.Paul and Pacific Railroad was an essential connection for Elk River,ensuring some level of continuing success for its mills and early town center,as well as passenger and freight service.The railroad company was formed in 1862 and first built a line from St.Paul to St.Anthony.36 The line to Elk River was completed in 1864,and reached Sauk Rapids in 1867.3' The line bypassed the dam and mills at Orono,on a route that allowed a crossing of the Elk River in Big Lake Township.The depot and sidings became the focus of the Lowertown settlement,and when the Elk River townsite was • formally platted in 1865 it was oriented toward the railroad and the depot.38 Elk River Historic Contexts Study Draft 5/2002 16