Forestville originally was settled in 1853 along the banks of the Root River. By 1860 it was a bustling rural town, serving as a center of trade for local farmers. Because of the rich soil, local wheat farms flourished and by 1860 the town had 150 residents, along with a school, two sawmills, a gristmill, a blacksmith, a store, two hotels, a distillery and a cabinetry shop serving the local area. The town of Forestville was settled in 1853 and organized in 1855, receiving this name in honor of Forest Henry, the first probate judge of Fillmore County. Henry settled in Forestville in 1854. The town was incorporated in 1891 and had a post office from 1855 until 1902. But the Southern Minnesota Railroad’s decision in 1868 to bypass Forestville, MN for other local towns – including Preston, Wykoff and Spring Valley – was all but a death sentence for the town. When the railroad came to Minnesota, stations were placed approximately 10 miles apart, based on the distance a typical farm wagon or person walking would be willing to go to a station. Towns built up on one side of the track, to avoid accidents from people crossing the tracks (hence the phrase, “the wrong side of the tracks”). Towns on the railroad flourished as centers of trade, while those without access to the railroad declined. In 1949 the Minnesota State Legislature authorized the creation of Forestville State Park, with the intent to preserve what remained of the abandoned townsite.