Bergen Township Lost Towns: 

Photo of the town of Thornton Taken from the Lester Prairie Community 1886-1986 History Book,

The Lost Town of Thornton…

Founded: 1886

Location: Section 5 of Bergen Township

Thornton was basically a logging camp in the Big Woods next to the railroad. On July 20, 1886, the Bergen Town Board of supervisors granted a right-of-way to the Minneapolis, Lyndale and Minnetonka Railroad Company through Sections 2, 3, and 4 for the sum of $500.00 to be paid by the railroad to the Township of Bergen. Building of this railroad provided employment for hundreds of men and teams of horses. All the grading was done with hand scrapers drawn by horses. Ties and rails were laid as fast as the grading advanced. Everyone along the line, was anxious to have the railroad built and many of the right-of -ways were donated by the land owners along the line. Thus, the little settlement of Thornton was established. Farmers who were clearing the land brought in the logs with teams of oxen. From Thornton the logs were shipped to Lester Prairie where thousands of cords of wood were sold. Many cords of wood were sold to the railroad company for ties.