Elk River & Bovill Real Estate
Bovill has two city parks. Caroline Park has a brick and cobblestone path named “The Billy Walk” after Billy Sanderson—a Bovill resident well-known in Latah County for his “long walks” to Elk River, Clarkia, Deary and Troy. The park also has a war memorial, gazebo and a tall swing. Village Park, donated by the Potlatch Corporation in 1994, has a baseball field and bleachers. The park is the location of the annual “Old Timers Picnic” on the third Sunday of July.
The surrounding forest, mountains, streams and reservoirs offer fabulous opportunities for outdoor recreation and activities such as camping, hunting, fishing, hiking and biking. ATV, snowmobile and cross-country ski trails are available in almost every direction.
The closest downhill skiing is 56 miles southeast at Bald Mountain Ski Resort near Pierce.
The 54-mile-long Dworshak Reservoir on the Clearwater River lies 15 miles across the mountains southeast of Bovill. However, hard surfaced road access to this outstandingregional asset and the 650-foot-high Dworshak Dam is 60 miles away at Orofino.
White pine timber and the railroads used to transport the logs spurred the city’s early growth. Today logging trucks and automobiles have replaced freight and passenger trains. However, the historic timber heritage of the city is still visible in the rail beds of spur lines used to get the logs out of the woods.
Most of the city’s downtown historic buildings still stand but are owned privately and not maintained. Past efforts by the city and community leaders to purchase the buildings have failed.
In 1996 the City purchased the historic St. Joseph Catholic Church from the Catholic Diocese of Boise. With help from the Idaho Historical Society and grants from the White Family Heritage Library, the City has restored the church which now houses the public library.
Elk River was first homesteaded in 1897 by Willard Trumbull. In 1909 his homestead was purchased by the Potlatch Lumber Company, and the first electric saw mill in the country was started in 1910. The name of fast growing town changed from Trumbull to Elk River at this time. The railroad was extended into Elk River from Bovill. By 1912 Elk River was prosperous with about 40 operating businesses, a new school, waterworks system, graded streets, electricity, board sidewalks and a hospital. In 1927 a newer bigger sawmill was built in Lewiston, Idaho and the town started to suffer. By April of 1932 the saw mill closed, and the following year the planner mill had closed.
Today Elk River has thriving restaurants, bars, and miles of 4-wheeler and snowmobile trails. Elk River is most well-known for the numerous outdoor opportunities it provides – most notably the “Giant Cedar,” Elk Creek Falls, and the Elk Butte Lookout.