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ep <br />The steel bridge and the Elk River, ca. 1925. Photo: MHS. <br />Transportation and Tourism <br />Like many communities in the 1920s, Elk River attempted to attract new automobile <br />tourists traveling along the Jefferson Highway. An ambitious project to bring visitors to <br />the Camp Cozy resort west of Lake Orono was planned by J.B. Jesperson. The resort <br />owner proposed a winding canal, locks, and bridges as well as gardens and a golf course <br />on a 500-acre parcel. Cottages as well as permanent residences were also planned. 50 At <br />least a portion of the original design was completed. <br />Preservation Planning Summary: <br />Transportation <br />Inventoried Resources <br />Transportation has played a critical role in the development of Elk River, but few <br />historic properties remain. Several transportation -related structures such as the Elk <br />River Depot were included in previous inventories, but appear to have been <br />subsequently razed. All of the historic bridges have been removed, with the Elk River <br />Bridge of 1919 replaced with a new structure in 1993-4. The Babcock Memorial was <br />inventoried as part of the Minnesota Roadside Structures Inventory conducted in 1996. <br />Recommendation(s) <br />1. Interpretation of the role of early routes and roads through Elk River should be <br />considered as part of new downtown development. <br />Elk River Historic Contexts Study Draft 4/2002 <br />1. <br />18 <br />