Broadband and the Railroad  (top) Home & Store in Forestville,
MN (bottom) Thomas and Mary Meighen  In 1868, the railroad
bypassed Forestville, MN and the town died. Not right away, but
in time my distant relatives, Thomas and Mary Meighen, saw the
town dwindle, people move away (and they did too), and they were
left with the farm and the store attached to their home. Farm
workers, paid in ‘chits’, kept the store going until 1910, when
Thomas abruptly closed the store — the last business in
Forestville — with all the merchandise inside.  Eventually, the
Minnesota Historical Society purchased the property (and what
was left of the town property) and turned it into a State Park.
My Dad and his cousins tell stories of being little kids on
weekend holiday at the farm, rubbing the windows so they could
peek inside at all the old clothing, canned goods and sundries
inside. Nearby Preston, where many other relatives lived,
thrived since the railroad passed through it instead of smaller
Forestville to the south.  Th