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Jackson Street, 2002. The Houlton Block is at left. <br />Two other significant downtown changes have been the creation of a surface parking lot <br />on the park square at Main and Jackson Streets, and exterior modernizations to the <br />exterior of historic commercial buildings. The modernizations are most evident on Main <br />Street between Jackson and Quincy streets. It is not known how much original historic <br />fabric remains behind the wood facades applied over the original brick. <br />Early Trade <br />Orono and Elk River's early merchants were a small and generally persistent group, <br />with several families such as Houlton, Wheaton, Babcock, Dare and Nickerson <br />providing dry goods and services over several decades. The Bank of Elk River <br />established in 1885 was the first bank in Sherburne County. The incorporators were W. <br />H. Houlton, W.L. Babcock, and Henry Castle. Some families, such as the Houltons, <br />combined mercantile interests with lumber, banking, farming and politics. This <br />business core served as promoters of the town, creating business associations and <br />campaigning for improvements such as telephone service, electric power and roads that <br />sustained the community. This was especially important in the early twentieth century, <br />as the decline of industries such as milling demanded that the town develop as a healthy <br />trade center for the surrounding agricultural hinterland. The publication of the Elk River <br />Souvenir (1901) and special booster features in local and regional newspapers was part of <br />business leaders' efforts to enlarge the market. <br />Local newspapers were critical to the community's success. The Sherburne County Weekly <br />was published ca. 1869-70. The Sherburne County Star and the Elk River Weekly were <br />inaugurated in 1875. In 1882, Arthur N. Dare purchased both papers as the Sherburne <br />County Star News <br />Elk River Historic Contexts Study Draft 4/2002 23 <br />