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History · Elk River

Elk River’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of Elk River. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

0old images & papers
6recent photos

The story so far

from Wikipedia & the U.S. Census

Elk River is a city in the northwestern United States in Clearwater County, Idaho. The population was 139 at the 2020 census, up from 125 in 2010. It is accessed from State Highway 8 from Bovill, to the west in adjacent Latah County. Formerly the site of a Potlatch sawmill, it was phased out after several decades during the 1930s.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 125 to 139 (+11%). Half of its homes were built before 1959.

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Elk River yet — the old photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Intro from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Population and housing: U.S. Census Bureau.

Be one of the first

Start Elk River’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Elk River’s history is told.

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Famous people from Elk RiverWriters, athletes, leaders and more who were born in Elk River.Meet them →
By decade

Elk River, decade by decade

Before
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
Today6 photos
Elk Creek, 1914CommonsElk Creek, 19142013 · postcardElk Creek Falls, circa 1912CommonsElk Creek Falls, circa 19122013 · postcardBird's Eye View, circa 1915CommonsBird's Eye View, circa 19152013 · postcardBird's Eye View, circa 1912CommonsBird's Eye View, circa 19122013 · postcardElk River Streetscape Idaho 9-15-2011CommonsElk River Streetscape Idaho 9-15-20112011IDMap-doton-ElkRiverCommonsIDMap-doton-ElkRiver2004
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Elk River is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Elk River has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Bovill, 11.4 miles away.

Elk River and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Elk River. Tap a dot.
St. Joseph's Catholic ChurchHotel BovillBovill Opera HouseRussell Lawrence FarmsteadDeary GarageUS Post Office-Orofino Main

Closest to Elk River

St. Joseph's Catholic ChurchBovill · Building11.4miHotel BovillBovill · Building11.5miBovill Opera HouseBovill · Building11.5miRussell Lawrence FarmsteadDeary · Building14.8miDeary GarageDeary · Building18mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. St. Joseph's Catholic Church’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Elk River?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Elk River’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Bovill📜 Deary📜 Orofino📜 Peck

From Wikimedia Commons (6). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

The porch light’s on

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
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