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by a bridge that spanned the Elk River at the site of the old ox cart trail.The Elk River tourist camp was situated south of the golf course on the southern tip of the island. Later,the northern end of the site was used as the local high school's football field,and a tennis court was erected on the northwest corner of the property.While none of this is visible in the historical aerial photos,you can see evidence of the circular golf course greens in the 1939 photo (Figure 7). In the 1939 aerial photos,agricultural fields dominated the landscape to the west of the site,and many occurred where they do not occur today. For example,the agricultural fields west of downtown Elk River are now largely residential subdivisions. North and east of the property,the city of Elk River looked much as it does today,though with fewer houses and other structures.The major streets throughout the area,including Main St.,were all present in 1939. New road construction occurred when developing the neighborhoods to the west. In the immediate area of the property,the river channels do not seem to have been altered,though the size and number of islands east of the property has changed. Comparing the 1939 and 2013 aerial photos,the water level was historically lower, with more islands visible in the channel.While this may simply be due to yearly fluctuations,aerial photos from the intervening period (1957 and 1991,not shown) seem to show a gradual loss of these islands.These smaller islands were both sandy and vegetated, creating many small channels that wove through this stretch of river. The general vegetative structure of the property hasn't changed much,though comparing the 1939 and 2013 aerial photos shows woody encroachment in many of the open areas.The Bailey family kept horses and likely grazed and mowed areas of the property. Since then,these areas have become more densely vegetated. Invasive shrubs like buckthorn and honeysuckle have come to dominate many areas,and other shrubs and small trees have increased overall woody cover, creating more pockets of woodland vegetation in the matrix of prairie and savanna areas. Friends of the Mississippi River Bailey Point Nature Preserve NRMP 28