A stunning example of farm history sits to the right of the highway leading into downtown Park City, Utah. The historic McPolin Farmstead is a local landmark and highly photographed as the majestic white barn has watched the world grow around it since 1921.
The barn and other out buildings are locked tight however the public is invited to roam the grounds and relish in stories about a simpler time told through farming equipment and a glimpse through a barn window.
Below is my best attempt to channel West Bend historian Dave Bohn and describe recollections of farming shared in information stations on the grounds.
The massive “Improvement-Era” barn was built around 1920 by Daniel and Isabel McPolin.
It measures 100‘ x 35‘ and was made partially of recycled timber salvaged from the old mining mill building.
The timbers were fitted together without the use of nails and have withstood hard winters.
The barn has a combined use of hay storage, livestock and dairy operations all under the 7,468-square-foot structure.
The barns gambrel roof allowed for maximum storage of hay on the second floor and openings through the floor provided easy delivery of feed to the cows below.
Two parallel rows of stanchions held the cows during milking and feeding and a wide center aisle provided minimum obstruction for animals as they entered and left the barn.
In the days before refrigeration pond ice was cut in blocks and stored in layers of hay beneath the barn floor for use.
In 1953 the concrete milk parlor was added to the front of the building and two concrete silos built at the back to store grain
The hay elevator – once the hay had been cut, raked and allowed to dry it was bailed.
The baler ejected the bales on the ground and the finished product had to be picked up and hauled to the barn for storage.
This hay elevator would’ve made that process much easier by doing the heavy, lifting. The elevator was attached to the side of a flatbed truck or a wagon with the bottom end face forward.
The elevator scooped up the bales and lifted them to the top of the elevator, ejecting them to the side and onto the truck or wagon.
A couple of the boys caught the bales as they came off the elevator and stacked them. Power to the elevator came from the wheels on the ground the faster the truck went faster.
The bale flew off the top while catching and stacking the bales picking them off the ground.
The work was still hard and to keep things fair the hay crew took turns driving the truck.
Hay wagon to transport hay from the field to the barn and the farmers used flatbed trucks and wagons. The hay wagon could be towed behind a truck or tractor or even a team of horses.
This wagon is a unique piece of farm-built ingenuity as manufacturers sold running gear or the frame and axle set.
The farmer built his own deck on top and sized the dimensions of his barn and tractor instead of buying a commercial wagon chassis for his hay wagon the chassis from a 1920s or 1930s Cadillac car was used.
The hay wagon was used to haul hay from the barn to the fields where the cattle were fed. Snow wagons were equipped with runners instead of wheels and pulled by horses.
The horse-draw hay rake is a full generation older than the other machinery. The earliest haymaking methods were labor-intensive.
Hay was hand cut with a sickle bar in swaths 6 to 10 feet wide and dried where it was cut.
The hay rake pulled the hay together into piles when the rake filled with hay, the rake released or tripped, leaving a pile in the field.
Farm hands with pitchforks, then tossed loose hay onto a wagon for transportation to the barn.
At the barn the loose hay was picked up by fork, suspended from the gable end of the barn and winched up into the loft.
The forks hung from a trolley attached to the ridge beam of the barn, allowing the hay to be piled evenly in the barn.
A draft horse, pulling a system of ropes and pullies powered the winch. The end of the hay trolley is still visible in the gable and roof overhang of the barn.
Looking inside the family home on the property which included hardwood floors, a wringer washer in the corner, a treadle sewing machine, and wood stove. How many items do you recognize?
Side notes from the tour:
Drifted out of Park City this week into Wyoming. Mileage included: 36.40 from Salt Lake to Park City and 65.54 to Evanston, WY. Lots of steep elevation changes. Sunny skies and temps in the 80s.
I’ve had the most lovely hosts including Linda who adopted me in a heartbeat as I was chatting with her boss outside Eric Heiden’s medical practice. Linda treasures her grandson and is a woman of great faith.
In Evanston, WY, a hat tip to Rev. Jim from St. Mary’s Parish who let me sleep on the church hall floor and spoiled me with a nice dinner on Main Street. Rev. Jim went to school in Hales Corners, WI and served Mass with Cardinal Dolan.
Toured the Olympic Training Oval while in Salt Lake City, UT.
Found several mentions of Kewaskum-area speedskater Jordan Stolz including his 2022 appearance at the Beijing Olympics and his track record in the 1000m.
Some other familiar Wisconsin faces at the oval in Utah included Bonnie Blair, Dan Jansen, and Eric Heiden.
Women’s hockey from UW-Madison was also represented with skates from Cammi Granato.
This year’s bicycle tour is intended to highlight previous Winter Olympics as we head into the 2026 Winter Games in Milan, Italy.
Local speed skater Jordan Stolz is expected to compete in four events in 2026 and if you would like to be part of Team Jordan feel free to pledge your support by using the QR code below courtesy the Dan Jansen Foundation.
Jansen’s foundation is a 501c3 and he’s agreed to donate 100% of all support noted to Jordan Stolz. Be part of Team Stolz today.
loved this…. feeling the echoes of the past….