Karen Palmer McLean - Dane County Century Farm

MID-WEST FARM REPORT - MADISON

In 1846, two years before Wisconsin achieved statehood, Pliny and Valeria Clark, along with their children, arrived in the Wisconsin Territory from Vermont and became some of the earliest settlers in the newly established Town of Montrose. Pliny purchased land from the US Government, including the present farm and much of what now comprises Paoli. In 1849, he brought the first Spanish Merino sheep to Wisconsin, followed by the first Morgan stallion in 1851. He built the enduring Italianate limestone house in 1853. After Valeria's death in 1899, one of the Clark children sold the farm to Frederick Gafke, who later passed it to his brother, William. William's daughter, Julia, and her husband, Wayne Palmer, bought the farm and moved their family into the historic house in 1928. The Palmers raised livestock and crops, with Les Palmer continuing the family tradition until health issues led to selling the dairy herd in 1988. Despite development pressures, the Palmer family wishes to maintain the farm, now planning to sell it to Prairieland Dairy, LLC, to continue its agricultural legacy.

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