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History · Elk

Elk’s history is
mostly unwritten

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

0old images & papers
0recent photos

The story so far

from Wikipedia & the U.S. Census

Elk Township is a township in Stoddard County, in the U.S. state of Missouri. Elk Township was erected in 1868, taking its name from Elk Creek.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 354 to 272 (-23%). Half of its homes were built before 1980.

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Elk 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’s collection

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

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Famous people close to Elk

See all 25 →
George WoodsGeorge WoodsPortageville · 19 miJacqueline ScottJacqueline ScottSikeston · 18 miSunset ThomasSunset ThomasSikeston · 18 miNeal E. BoydNeal E. BoydSikeston · 18 miKenny HulshofKenny HulshofSikeston · 18 miAndrew J. HinshawAndrew J. HinshawDexter · 11 mi
By decade

Elk, 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
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Elk is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Elk has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Dexter Gymnasium in Dexter, 10.5 miles away.

Elk and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Elk. Tap a dot.
Dexter GymnasiumStoddard County CourthouseHowardville SchoolHenry Miller HouseLincoln SchoolHunter-Dawson House

Closest to Elk

Dexter GymnasiumDexter · Built 194010.5miStoddard County CourthouseBloomfield · Building14.6miHowardville SchoolHowardville · Building14.8miHenry Miller HouseBloomfield · Building14.8miLincoln SchoolSikeston · Building17.2mi

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. Dexter Gymnasium’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Elk?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Elk’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
📜 Parma📜 Penermon📜 Canalou📜 Catron
The coffee’s on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Elk, MOStoddard CountyView boundary

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01
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