Forrest E. Woodward

Forrest E. Woodward (December 27, 1852 – ?) was a prominent farmer, store owner, livestock trader and postmaster who lived in Langdon, Minnesota. Forrest ran the general store in Langdon with his father, George Woodward, and later with his own son, also named George.

Early Life
Forrest was born to George and Ellen Woodward on December 27, 1852 in Buena Vista, Wisconsinundefined. Along with his parents and older brother Irving, Forrest moved to Cottage Grove, Minnesota in 1855. The Woodwards then briefly relocated to Iowa, but returned to Cottage Grove in 1856undefined when George purchased 160 acres of land there.

Forrest attended primary school in Cottage Grove followed by a course at the St. Croix Academy in Afton. He worked extensively around his father's farm, eventually taking over the entirety of his business affairs when his father passed in 1893.

Family Life
Forrest married Ellen Larson of Skone, Sweden on March 11, 1880. They had six children: Mary, born February 16, 1881; George, born September 18, 1882; Clara, born January 18, 1885; Edith, born September 29, 1889; Arthur, born April 11, 1892; and Mabel, born January 16, 1896.

Business and Professional Life
Forrest Woodward held a wide variety of political, social and industrial positions in Cottage Grove and the surrounding area. As area biographer Augustus B. Easton wrote: "Mr. Woodward is one of the leading citizens of his section of his country, and is well regarded by all. His large interests require a manager of more than ordinary ability, and Mr. Woodward has proved to be just such a man. He has all the details of his large business at his fingers' tips, and his judgement is always sure to be good. He has by no means reached the limit of his prosperity, and his is one of the coming big men of the country.undefined"Politically, his services included being the president supervisor and treasurer of the town as well as being a member of the school board. Her served as Langdon's postmaster beginning in 1881. Forrest was also the director of two banks: the St. Paul National Bank, and one of its mergers, Capital National Bankundefined.

Langdon Businesses
Forrest inherited all of his father's businesses in Langdon, including the general store, Woodward and Son (which he renamed "F.E. Woodward and Sons," after his sons George and Arthur were old enough to assist him), a grain elevator and a feed mill, all located along the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway that ran through town.

Livestock Trading
With the help of his sons, George and Arthur, Forrest dealt cattle, hogs and sheep.undefined In July, 1902 Forrest's cattle sold at a premium price over any others in the state: up to eight dollars and thirty cents (over $220 in 2014 dollars) per hundrend pounds live weightundefined. In 1906 he and his sons won the Silver Loving Cup and a one hundred dollar first prize for their cattle in the Merchant's Hotel Sweepstakes. The same year they won a total of three hundred dollars in prize money for their steers and cattle in the South St. Paul Special showingundefined.

Land Holdings
Forrest owned 1,000 acres of land within Cottage Grove township, 1,000 acres near Tower, North Dakota, and 1,400 acres in Frederick, South Dakota.undefined

Forrest's work ethic is demonstrated in his own words: "Living too fast it what is causing business disturbance. Too much time and attention and money are given to sporting and not enough attention given to business, by older people, middle aged people, and young people. They chase around too much and don't attend to work.undefined"

Gallery
The following photos of Forrest's farm in Langdon accompanied an article written by him in the Minnesota Farmer's Institute Annual of 1902. In the article, Forrest gave advice on the feeding and care of cattleundefined.