Forestville: One of Minnesota’s Ghost Towns

On June 14th, I headed to southern Minnesota on my trusty Suzuki 650 in search of Forestville Minnesota, one of our state’s ghost towns from the late 1800’s.  It is located in what is now Forestville State Park, and it was founded in 1853 and remained until 1868 when the railroad moved to another area, thus killing the town of Forestville. The general store closed in 1910 when Thomas J. Meighen, son of one of the town’s founders, moved to Preston.

When I arrived in the area, I found that the bridge, built in 1899, that crossed the Root River from Forestville State Park into the village of Forestville, was closed to both foot and motorized traffic.  Fortunately for me, I had entered the area from the East and landed at the welcome center for the village.  Although the area was not officially “open” to visitors, the welcome center was open, and a very knowledgeable and friendly person, Heather Hill, was there to answer questions, give me a tour, and sell me a couple stickers for my travel sticker board.

This is the route I took on my ride, in a counter clockwise loop.

Looking West into the remnants of the village.

One difference I noticed immediately is that there are no motorcycles in the old-time photo.

This is not a picture of the store.  This is actually a barn and possibly a blacksmith’s shop. The sign is very informative about the store, which is directly behind me in this shot. 

This is the house which belonged to the Meighen family that founded the town.

The Family home, located to the left, and the store, which juts out at the far end of the home.

 

This is the front door to the house.

The stairway immediately inside the front door.  It lead up to the bedrooms.  Note the steps having been worn over the years.  

My wood turning/carving friend might find a certain beauty to this wooden railing.  I just think it’s fascinating to know that over the years the children who lived here handled this railing thousands of times without giving it a second thought. The history lives on in this wood.

Family room or parlor

The kitchen where up to 25 people, family and workers on the farm, were fed at least three times a day.

All of the items here would have been brought here by oxen.  And we complain about the difficulties of moving nowadays.

A view inside the store.

The centerpiece to many stores in those times.  A large, very ornate, stove.

Clearly, I was impressed with the stove!

The store provided just about anything people needed for the times.  Food, clothes, coffee, health remedies, shoes, paint, liquor, etc.

This once contained coffee beans to be sold in bulk.

The front door to the store.  Note the low door handle.  I’m told it is this low because oftentimes children would be sent to the store to purchase items for the family.

The old bridge built in 1899, and is currently closed to both foot and vehicular traffic. She’s had a good run!

Special thanks to Heather Hill, who works with the MN Historical Society, for taking the time to provide me with a very informative and interesting tour of Forestville.  I encourage everyone to visit this historical place and imagine what it was like to live in those times.

After my informative tour of the town with Heather, I took a solo walking tour up a steep hill a half mile long to Zumbro Hill Cemetery. 

This photo does not do justice to how steep the hill was that I hiked.

Once at the top of the hill I found an old cemetery (as advertised). I was feeling beyond my years at this point, what with the hip issues I have. But, it was worth it.

I saw there was a town, Carimona, on my GPS, so I ventured down the dirt roads to see what was there.  The only thing I could find remaining was this cemetery. I went into the cemetery to see if it is still being used.  

This monument caught my eye.  Such a young person dying at only 19 years of age.

The backside of this monument brought tears to my eyes.  

An old mill on Gribben Creek, near Whalen.  History standing the test of time.

Thanks for looking!