Ward Orchard Traditional Cache

The ward orchard was one of the finest, and the second largest in the U.S.A. The orchard covered 740 acres with rich sandy loam soil.

4,220 barrels of apples were harvested in 1909 with 1500 bushels of windfalls. Every year the orchard produced more apples. Mr Eli Forbush was the manager of the orchard for Henry Ward. Mr. Forbush was a authority in his field. There was a variety of apples that were harvested such as Ben Davis, Alxander, Baldwin, Beleflower, Johnathan, Northen Spy, Wagner, Gano, Snow, Wealthy, Shiawassee Beauties, May Dukes, Early Richmond and the Early Montmorency.

Would you beleave there was 65,000 apple, plum, cherry and pear trees? There was 40 acres of asparagus and 60 acres of peas. The peas were harvested and ground up and used for stock, they also enriched the soil.

Frederic Michigan was a excellent place for this orchard because of its climate. The orchard was located 1 1/2 miles east of town on County Road 612. This orchard was the pride of the area, with many tourists coming just to see the orchard. The orchard really flourished.

David ward had intended to build a cannery in Frederic in the early 1900's but it was an underveloped dream.

Otis and Alice Weaver moved to the Ward Orchard in 1928 to manage it. There were bunk houses and they cooked meals for the crew working there. Food was brought in on the train, such as dried peaches, cartons of tea, barrells of mollasses and macaroni, soda, sugar, flour and supplies needed for the orchard. Otis brought these things from Frederic by horse and buggy.

There where also many teams of horses that numbered 100 horses that were used in the lumbering industry, that were owned by a man from Gaylord plus all the horses owned by Ward Orchard that had to be fed and taken care of.

Then came the "crash" the depression of 1929. That was the end of the great days of the Ward Orchard. Otis Weaver and his family stayed on as caretakers until 1945 until the orchard was taken over by the state. At that time they moved to Frederic.

Now all that remains of the large orchard planted by Henry Ward, son of David E. Ward are a few trees and asparagus plants. A fire destroyed all of it that lay north of County RD. 612 and the rest had recived little care. It was not sprayed or pruned and the fruit had little commercial value. Its dilapidated condition today bears witness to the lumberman's misunderstanding of proper land utilization.

Today the orchard has gone wild but many people still go out and pick asparagus and apples.

This cache placed and maintained by a member of NMG. Click here for more details.