A 127-year-old railway water tower at Elkhorn will get a new lease on life this summer, thanks to a dedicated group of area citizens with roots in the historic mining community. When all is said and done, the tower will be an attraction for tourists, students, railroad lovers and others, perhaps for another 127 years or more, say backers of the effort.
In its heyday, the railway water tower built by the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1890 served the silver-mining boomtown of Elkhorn. Replenishing the steam locomotives that hauled critical goods into the community and valuable ore out was critical after they puffed their way up the four percent grade to Elkhorn.
According to Bill Taylor, a noted Montana railway historian, the tower is believed to be the only surviving original Northern Pacific water tank of its type. Typically, the water tanks were dismantled in the 1950s and 60s after diesel locomotives replaced the steam engines. The NPR “Standard Plan” 48,000 gallon tank features wide horizontal metal stabilizing bands atop large vertical planks. A conical roof finishes it off.
