Photo from “Reflections of Forest Lake”J.L. Simmons and his nephew Tom ran a grocery store and dry goods store (pictured) in Forest Lake in the early to mid-20th century.
Editor’s note: This is the first part of a two-part series about the oft-forgotten influence of the Simmons family on the Forest Lake area. Information for this story was taken from the files of the Forest Lake Times, the writing of Elsie Vogel in her 1993 Centennial books, “Reflections of Forest Lake,” Simmons family records, and plat books shared by the land surveying firm of Widseth Smith Nolting of Wyoming.
Look around Forest Lake these days and nary will you find a sign of a family that once played a prominent role in the development of the area. It has been that way for decades.broadstreet.zone(48036);
While signs of the Simmons family have vanished from the landscape, explore historical archives and family research and you’ll
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News and other stories about real people, places, and events in Forest Lake and nearby suburbs.