7.1. SR 07-29-2002 - Laserfiche WebLink

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By 1910, the average Sherburne County farm was 172 acres, considerably larger than Isanti and Anoka and Wright and Hennepin counties, but comparable to Stearnes and other nearby counties. ~s A total of eighty-two percent were operated by owners? In the early twentieth century, however, there was a general downsizing of farms. The total amount of acreage devoted to farms in Sherburne County, which was at 34 percent in 1860, peaked at 55 percent in 19007 During this period, the county's population rose from 490 to 7,281. Elk River and the Potato Sherburne County farmers appear to have followed the general pattern of an initial reliance on wheat cultivation followed by more diversification after the collapse of the wheat market and soil depletion. With improvements in agricultural machinery and the arrival of the railroad, more markets opened for Sherburne County farmers. By 1880, the leading grain crop was wheat, followed by oats, corn, rye, and buckwheat. Potatoes were the leading produce crop, with over 4,000 bushels produced. ~8 The sandy soils of Elk River Township have long favored potato and rye cultivation. In the mid-1880s, a specialized potato district developed north of the Twin Cities, with markets as far as New England and the South. Starch factories were also a by-product of the potato industry. 19 Elk River's production likely followed the trend of the county, where the yield of potatoes rose from 14,290 bushels in 1860 to 963,073 in 1910. In 1910, Sherburne County was a part of the potato belt, but was surpassed by counties such as Anoka (1,255,880 bushels), Chisago (1,874,597) as well as Hennepin (2,438,132), and Isanti (2,150,573).20 The years between about 1906 and 1910 were a boom period for potatoes, with three new warehouses erected in Elk River in 1908, and a second starch factory built in 1910. Photographs from this period show the Elk River depot area packed with potato-laden wagons, ready to load on railcars. Dairying By 1900, many Elk River farmers were operating dairy businesses. The gambrel-roofed barn and complex of silos synonymous with such operations were erected across the township in the early twentieth century. By 1900, there were 5,908 dairy cattle in Sherburne County, a number that increased to 7,258 in 19107 By com arison, Stearnes County boasted 36,272 dairy cattle. TM P Elk River potato warehouse, ca. 1900. Photo: MHS. Elk River Historic Contexts and Phase II Downtown Com~nercial Area Study 14