About Elfros

 

 

 

     Elfros is an Icelandic community of about 100 people located at the southeast corner of the Quill Lakes at the Junction of Highways 16 and 35. 
     It is centrally located, close to larger towns but small enough to be appreciated by people who like the small town experience. 

     The name Elfros (elf rose ?) is said to be from the wild roses which grow in the area.

     This area is an ideal spot to start your birding experience.
  
   Elfros is close to the Fishing Lake resort areas, 
and close to the Quill Lakes bird watching sites, 
Wadena Wetlands Marsh and the Foam Lake Heritage Marsh.
     There are also Ducks Unlimited project sites in the area north of Elfros and south of Little Quill Lake. Check at the Ducks Unlimited office in Wadena for more info.

There is a very popular bronze sculpture and mural in the Elfros Park honoring the Icelandic pioneers. Click on the picture to enlarge it.






And a playground for the children to play on.






 

 

In 2011, this is the oldest building in Elfros.

It was built as a store in 1908, you can read about it in the history article on this website.

 

 

 

    Here are some aerial pictures of Elfros, click on them to enlarge.

     Can you find your house or your grandparents house? Check out the pictures on the history page and see if you can find some of the old buildings. The original 1908 store is still there, can you find it?

This picture, taken from the north, shows much of Front Avenue, parallel to the railway tracks in the foreground. The grain elevators were on the north side of the railway tracks, about where the train is parked.
     Front Avenue is the main business area and you can see the Coop Store, Credit Union, Hotel, Sask Highways and the Village Office.
     The 1908 store is the blue building, obscured by trees, one block west of the Coop Store. Last used as an autobody shop in the 1980's, it has been unoccupied for years.
     Highway 16 borders the south side of the village. The auto wrecking business can be seen along Highway 16 at the right side of the picture.

 

You can see the residential areas in this picture, taken from the southwest. Highway 16 is in the foreground, on the south side of Elfros and the old school grounds are on the left side of the picture. The old school, a beautiful brick building, is being renovated by its new owners.

 

 

 

 

2011 Flooding

Here are some recent aerial pictures of the flooding in the Elfros area in the spring of 2011. You can click on the pictures to enlarge them.
Thank you to Forrest for taking us up to see the water.

These two pictures show the area from Nupdal Lake to Little Quill Lake, flying along Highway 16 and looking toward the north.
	These two pictures show the Nupdal Lake area again, this time closer and looking toward the south.
The three pictures below show the area east from Nupdal Lake to Highway 35
A view over Highway 35, looking south toward Elfros	This is where Birch Creek joins Duck Hunting Creek, just west of Highway 35, north of Elfros.	A view of Duck Hunting Creek, east of Nupdal Lake. Birch Creek is in the background.
This picture shows the water backed up around the Fishing Lake Road, but not flooded.	Looking west at Highway 35, the two creeks back up on both sides of the highway for about two kilometers.
A view of Birch Creek, just north of Elfros.	This is looking at Birch Creek where it crosses Highway 16 and passes on the northwest side of Elfros