History

In 1910, John Steele and Lillie Bartle began a lifelong journey together with a small log cabin, one dairy cow, some chickens, and a small animal shelter. Throughout their years, they added nine children and many, many animals. Lillie would take homemade butter and cream, eggs, and vegetables to the Iron Mountain area to sell. This was accomplished by taking a horse and wagon to the Granite Bluff Train Station where she would take a train to town.

After John had passed away, he left the farm to his son Leland. Larry purchased the farm from Leland in 1982. He started his legacy with a small garden and kept adding land, more gardening acreage, and animals. Larry applied for the farm to become a centennial farm recognized by the Historical Society of Michigan. In March of 2010, it was certified. The farm is still working on building the farm up and using it to full capacity.