Farming Legacy Traditional Cache

It is at the coordinates, there is no puzzle to it, just history.
 

Steilacoom Park

From the Discovery Trail placard on site:

Farming Legacy

Farming on the park site began as early as 1844.  The Sound Agricultural Company (a division of the Hudson’s Bay Company) operated a farm managed by Joseph Heath.

In 1871 State funding for the Insane Asylum of Washington (now know as Western State Hospital) was scarce, so a small farm was created to produce food for patients and staff.

By the early 1900’s farm property was used for the production of crops, orchards, grazing area and pens for cows, chickens, turkeys and pigs grew to about 200 acres.  Barns were built to manage animal care and general farm maintenance. 

In 1926 it was determined that the most productive crops were grown on a hill above Lake Waughop.  Dr. Charles Taylor directed farm workers to regularly pump out the lake silt and spread it over nearby hills.  Crop yields quickly increased.

Labor for the farm was performed by hospital patients as a part of their occupational therapy. Male patients tended fields and orchards, worked with livestock and provided grounds maintenance.  Female patients were responsible for canning produce, preserving seeds and tending livestock.

At the height of the farm’s productivity, 220 of the hospital’s 840 acres were devoted to farm activities and included 70 acres of orchards and gardens, 60 acres for pigs and 90 acres for poultry and dairy.  The patient staff was comprised of 150 full time and 90 seasonal workers.

With the advent of drug therapy, there was a reduction in the number of patients, their length of hospitalization and ability to perform certain tasks.  This diminished the availability of workers and with outside labor too costly, the farm operation ceased in 1965