Two weeks ago I wrote about a childhood landmark called Meadow Brook Farm, and it was actually traced back to Cluny Stock Farm, which was home to some of Michigan’s best Registered Holsteins owned by R. Bruce McPherson of Howell.

I was elated to make this discovery about one of my favorite childhood landmarks but was even more excited when I saw the outpouring of letters and email from people who were somehow connected to that farm. As each story came in, I felt compelled to share them with everyone.

Here are a couple of letters from near and far:

Melissa – Your article about Meadow Brook Farm brought up many memories to me. I lived on that farm from 1941-46. It was then called the Ira Wilson and Sons Dairy. My father, D. Arnold, worked there taking care of the horses and doing field work.

He took show horses to the Michigan State Fair, brought home ribbons which my nephew has now. There were seven homes on the farm. I could give the names of most of them (families). The milk was bottled there on the farm and taken to Detroit. I rode with “uncle Johnny” many times when going into Children’s Hospital for check-ups!

They grew enough potatoes for all the families. We children were paid 5 cents a bushel to pick them up. The cow barn and milk house was lost in a fire in 1946.

–Joyce Ives, Fowlerville, Mich.

Melissa – I always enjoy your stories, but this one hits close to home for me. When the draft horses were gracing Meadow Brook Farm, the man in charge was Harold Clark. When Harold retired, he and his wife, Ruth, built a little draft horse barn on CR 42 just west of Millersburg, directly across the road from us.

Since they never had any children (Ruth always said the Belgians were their kids) I became their honorary grandson. Ironically, Harold’s brother used to do a lot of arm service for Curtiss, and bred a lot of cows for Bottema farms. I used to sit and listen to those two talk animals and breeding and mating for hours.

My first showbox was a Meadow Brook Farm leftover, the anvil from the farm, which started its life in the Dodge brothers bicycle shop, is in my garage. After reading the Holstein World with me twice, Harold is the one who told me not to try to breed a 97 point cow, he said try to breed an 88 point cow “cuz (sic) if you screw up one way you may have a great one, and if you screw up the other way, your dad still has a decent cow to milk.”

Thank you for giving me a reason to think of a great man today, even though I do on most days anyway.

–Bruce Gingrich, Millersburg, Ind.

The Dodge brothers Bruce refers to in his letter were in fact the automakers. Matilda Wilson, owner of Meadow Brook Farm, was once married to John Dodge. John bought the original 320-acre Meadow Brook farm in Rochester Hills and it was one of nine Meadow Brook Farms.

John died and Matilda remarried a lumber broker named Alfred Wilson. Matilda Dodge-Wilson served as a Michigan State University trustee from 1931-37 and was named trustee emeritus in 1960. MSU gave her an honorary degree in 1955 and named Wilson Residence Hall in honor of her and her husband in 1962.

In 1957, the Wilsons gave most of their land holdings, including Meadow Brook Hall and a $200 million endowment, to MSU to found a branch of the university that eventually became the independent institution Oakland University. Matilda Wilson also helped fund the John A. Hannah endowed chairs.

Thanks to all of you who have chimed in about your memories of Meadow Brook Farm. If there are more stories, please don’t be shy – share them with me!

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments for Melissa Hart may write to her in care of this publication.