1772Military
Two battles between the Dakota and Ojibwe took place where the Elk River meets the Mississippi in 1772 and 1773.
1805History
=== Rivers ===
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.
1846Architecture
David Frederic Faribault, son of French-Canadian fur trader Jean-Baptiste Faribault built a trading post near the confluence of the Elk and Mississippi Rivers in 1846, which he ...
1850Architecture
Bottineau also built a hotel in 1850 on the bank of the Mississippi about a half mile below the mouth of the Elk.
1851History
In 1851, Ard Godfrey and John C.
1855Infrastructure
In 1855, the area by the dam was platted and the town of Orono (known as Upper Town) was created.
1860History
The Orono-Elk River area continued to grow until by 1860 it had reached a population of 723 people.
1865Government
The village of Elk River was platted in 1865, replatted in 1868, and when incorporated in the winter of 1880–1881, included both Orono and Elk River.
1870History
By 1870, Elk River swelled to a population of 2,050 and became the county seat in 1872.
1912Disaster
The Orono Dam was destroyed by an ice storm in 1912, but hydropower gave a new incentive to dam the Elk River in 1915.
1916Government
In 1916, the Village of Elk River received electricity for the first time.
1921Architecture
=== Handke Stadium ===
Also known as the Elkhi Stadium, it started its construction in 1921.
1939Disaster
In 1939 workers built steps, stone retaining walls and a warming house with a fireplace.
1960Economy
The first rural nuclear power plant in the United States went online in 1960 as Great River Energy's (GRE) site in Elk River.
1961Infrastructure
Work on Highway 169 to bypass Elk River began in 1961.
1968Infrastructure
Work on a new route for Highway 101 between Rogers and Elk River began in 1968.
1974History
In 1974, the Village of Elk River changed to the City of Elk River.
1978History
In 1978, the City of Elk River and the township of Elk River were consolidated to create one unit known as the City of Elk River as it exists today.
1991Culture
=== Art ===
==== Downtown Murals ====
In 1991, K.S.
1997History
This innovative source of energy was one factor that contributed to Elk River receiving the designation of "Energy City" by the Minnesota Environmental Initiative in October 1997.
2000Architecture
The Elk River Rotary Club fundraised enough money that in 2000 they repaired the stadium.
2009History
This population growth, combined with the area's high commuter rate, factored into the ultimate approval and implementation of the Northstar Commuter Rail service from Minneapol...
2010History
== Demographics ==
=== 2010 census ===
As of the census of 2010, there were 22,974 people, 8,080 households, and 6,050 families residing in the city.
2016Education
Kelley Farm
Elk River Area School District Archived January 10, 2016, at the Wayback Machine