7.1. SR 07-29-2002 - Laserfiche WebLink

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owing to the grasping greed of the raihvads to get the long haul and settle up their railroad lands in remote regions of the far Northwest with subsidized land men, who could turn a larger commission for exploiting them, than the fertile acres nearer home. As a result the fertile lands lying between the Twin Cities and the head of the lake have been left to shift for themselves.. Monger and others saw a shipping link to the Gulf of Mexico and the Panama Canal as greatly benefiting Elk River. The author was speculating on the potential of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to widen and deepen the Upper River. However, these improvements were not made, and river transportation was not revived in the twentieth century. About 1926, Trunk Highway 3 was designated as U.S. Highway 10. In 1942, construction began to widen the highway to four lanes and bypass the center of Elk River. 43 The project was completed in 1948. Somewhat ironically, highway construction razed the Charles Babcock house. It also took the Sherburne County Courthouse lawn, a potato warehouse, and other buildings. In 1969, construction began on a new route for Highway 169 north of Elk River. The Elk River and its Bridges At least four bridges have cOnnected the north and south banks of the Elk River. The first crossing of the Elk River was probably over Ard Godfre~'s dam, which was of simple crib and boulder construction.~A bridge over the Elk River was built in Orono in 1860. ~s In 1886 a steel bridge was erected in the same location as the present bridge. It was erected by the Wrought and Iron Bridge Co. of Canton, Ohio and featured two 128-foot spans. The Hastings Bridge below the sawmill, which collapsed in 1898 shortly after construction, was among several lightweight bridges attempted by mill owners. Elk River roadside development on an unidentified section of Highway 10 in 1950. Photo: MHS. Elk River Historic Contexts and Phase II Downtown Commercial Area Study 21