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• <br /> owing to the grasping greed of the railroads to get the long <br /> haul and settle up their railroad lands in remote regions of <br /> the far Northwest with subsidized land men,who could turn <br /> a larger commission for exploiting them,than the fertile <br /> acres nearer home.As a result the fertile lands lying between <br /> the Twin Cities and the head of the lake have been left to <br /> shift for themselves...42 <br /> Monger and others saw a shipping link to the Gulf of Mexico <br /> and the Panama Canal as greatly benefiting Elk River.The <br /> author was speculating on the potential of the U.S.Army <br /> Corps of Engineers to widen and deepen the Upper River. <br /> However,these improvements were not made,and river <br /> transportation was not revived in the twentieth century. <br /> l4cr a ate fir' ?RXYE�l UREAtF Mr (MUMS <br /> `°"* Elk River roadside development <br /> III <br /> '�'��� `� - '�"'"`� `� ���� � ,�. _- on anunidentified section of <br /> Highway 10 in 1950.Photo <br /> e MHS. <br /> About 1926,Trunk Highway 3 was designated as U.S. <br /> Highway 10.In 1942,construction began to widen the highway <br /> to four lanes and bypass the center of Elk River.43 The project <br /> was completed in 1948.Somewhat ironically,highway <br /> construction razed the Charles Babcock house.It also took the <br /> Sherburne County Courthouse lawn,a potato warehouse,an d <br /> other buildings. In 1969,construction began on a new route for <br /> Highway 169 north of Elk River. <br /> The Elk River and its Bridges <br /> At least four bridges have connected the north and south banks <br /> of the Elk River.The first crossing of the Elk River was <br /> probably over Ard Godfrey's dam,which was of simple crib <br /> and boulder construction. A bridge over the Elk River was <br /> built in Orono in 1860.45 In 1886 a steel bridge was erected in <br /> the same location as the present bridge.It was erected by the <br /> Wrought and Iron Bridge Co.of Canton,Ohio and featured <br /> two 128-foot spans. <br /> The Hastings Bridge below the sawmill,which collapsed in <br /> 1898 shortly after construction,was among several lightweight <br /> bridges attempted by mill owners. <br /> 111) <br /> Elk River Historic Contexts and Phase II Downtown Commercial Area Study <br /> 21 <br />