ELK RIVER IDAHO.
Date: Circa 1935
Source Type: Postcard
Publisher, Printer, Photographer: AZO
Postmark: None
Collection: Steven R. Shook
Remark: Written on the reverse of this postcard is the following information: This picture was taken just above the dam on Elk River. The building which you see is the planing mill. Elk River is a small town that has a pop. of about 250. I made a $1.00 here while waiting for my train. I stayed here August 6, 7, 9, and 10, 1935."
Elk River was initially known interchangeably as Trumbell’s Wayhouse and Elk Creek; it was a popular headquarters for sportsmen seeking hunting and fishing adventures in the vast and remote Clearwater Mountain region.
The Potlatch Lumber Company began a sawmill operation in Elk River in April 1911.
The mill facility was designed by William Wilkinson and, unlike other mills in the region, the mill was operated by electricity. Efficient production was hampered, however, by the heavy snowfall experienced in the Elk River area. In 1927, an extremely large lumber mill was constructed in Lewiston, Idaho. In 1931, the Clearwater Timber Company, Potlatch Lumber Company, and Rutledge Timber Company merged under the name Potlatch Forest Industries (PFI). The merger led to the closing of the lumber production facility in Elk River.
The planing mill facility, however, continued to operate for a few more years after the closing of the sawmill.
The closing of the lumber mill in Elk River, especially during the Great Depression, had an enormous impact on the town. Many businesses in the town folded and the population collapsed to a few hundred. Today [2015], the population of Elk River remains just under 200.
Copyright 2015. Some rights reserved. The associated text may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of Steven R. Shook.
