This Central MN Small Town Was Once a County Seat

Forest City is an unincorporated city located in Meeker County north of Litchfield and south of Watkins on Meeker County Road 2 and Highway 24.  It was platted in 1857 and had a post office from 1856 until 1907.  The town's population is estimated to be less than 100.  To tell the story of Forest City I was joined by longtime residents Betty and Bob Herman and Richard Dollarschell.

Early Settlers

Bob Herman says the first settlers that came to Forrest City chose the area due to the crow river and the abundance of forest land.  He says the early settlers came to the area from Ohio and southern Iowa.  Their heritage was from Sweden, Germany, Ireland and Finland.  Betty Herman says religion of these early settlers included Presbyterian, Catholic, Methodist, Baptist and Lutheran.

The Name

The big woods ended just prior to Forest City according to Betty Herman.  She says the area had a lot of timber north of Forest City while having great farmland south of the crow river.  Bob Herman says the town was named Forest City due to the large amount of trees on the north side of the community.

Early Businesses

Early businesses in Forest City include the Flour and Saw Mill, blacksmith shop, general store, hotel and numerous saloons.  Dollarschell says Forest City has up to 5 saloons at one time.  The town supported the surrounding farms.  Betty says the hotel was called the Atkinson hotel because the family lived in it.  She says a family lived in the hotel building up until it burned down 8 years ago.  Forest City has a school in their downtown until 1923 before building a 2-room school house in the downtown.  That existed until the 1970s.  Dollarschell went to school there for 6 years.  He says it was just recently torn down.

St. John's in Forest City?

Dollarschell says Forest City could have been the location for St. John's University.  He says when the Catholic Diocese were looking to relocate from St. Cloud Collegeville and Forest City were the two options.

Forest City was the County Seat

During the first 12 years of Statehood in Minnesota Forest City was the county seat for Meeker County.  It was later moved to Litchfield after the railroad chose to go through Litchfield as opposed to Forest City.  Dollarschell feels Forest City would have stayed the county seat if the railroad would have come through their community.  An election in 1869 led to the moving of the county seat from Forest City to Litchfield.

Today in Forest City

Forest City brings people to the community each summer and winter with the Forest City Stockade.  It's been around in the 1976.  Learn more about the Stockade here.

If you'd like to listen to my conversation with Betty and Bob Herman and Richard Dollarschell, click below.