Elk River, Minnesota
| Elk River | |
|---|---|
| City | |
| Elk River, Minnesota | |
Main Street, July 2009
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| Nickname(s): Energy City, Powered By Nature | |
 Location of the city of Elk River within Sherburne County, Minnesota |
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| Coordinates: 45°19′2″N 93°34′52″W / 45.31722°N 93.58111°WCoordinates: 45°19′2″N 93°34′52″W / 45.31722°N 93.58111°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Minnesota |
| County | Sherburne |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | John J. Dietz |
| • Administrator | Calvin Portner |
| Area | |
| • Total | 43.82 sq mi (113.49 km2) |
| • Land | 42.29 sq mi (109.53 km2) |
| • Water | 1.53 sq mi (3.96 km2) |
| Elevation | 896 ft (273 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 22,974 |
| • Estimate (2015) | 23,963 |
| • Density | 543.2/sq mi (209.7/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 55330 |
| Area code(s) | Area code 763 |
| FIPS code | 27-18674 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0643266 |
| Website | City of Elk River |
Elk River is a city in Sherburne County, Minnesota, United States (U.S.), about 34 miles northwest of Minneapolis. It is situated at the confluence of the Mississippi and Elk Rivers. The population was 22,974 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat. The city's population exceeded 20,000 as of year 2005. U.S. Highways 10 and 169 and State Highway 101 are three of the main routes in Elk River, and a station on the Northstar Commuter Rail line to downtown Minneapolis is located in the city. Elk River is located 33.2 miles northwest of Minneapolis and 37.4 miles southeast of St. Cloud.
The hardwood-forested hills in which Elk River is situated were pushed up by the last glacier that advanced across Minnesota. These hills are made up of coarse materials which is the reason gravel mining is so prevalent in Elk River, and also the reason much of the area is not considered good farmland.
To the south of Elk River lies the prairie. This natural boundary between the prairie and woods was also a boundary between Indian nations. Two battles between the Dakota and Ojibwe took place where the Elk River meets the Mississippi in 1772 and 1773.
Zebulon Pike passed through the area on his 1805 exploration of the upper Mississippi River and named the Elk River after the herds of elk he saw in the area. David Fairbault built a trading post near the conjunction of the Elk and Mississippi Rivers in 1846, which he later sold to Pierre Bottineau. The two rivers and the Red River Trail, which passed nearby, made this area a good location for commerce.
In 1851, Ard Godfrey, a native of Orono, Maine, saw the potential of the water power of the Elk River and built a dam and a sawmill. His dam created the first lobe of Lake Orono (called the Mill Pond), which extended from the present day dam to Orono Cemetery Point. In 1855, the area by the dam was platted and the town of Orono (known as Upper Town) was created.
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