OVERLOOK FARM –
THE STORY OF THE LAST WORKING FAMILY FARM ON LAKE CHARLEVOIX
1864 to Now: Preserving a Homestead Tract
On April 15, 1864, the United States of America issued a homesteading land “patent” to John Bagley and his wife, the first non-Indians to occupy high ground on the eastern shore of the South Arm of Lake Charlevoix. The Bagleys got 146 acres on condition that they worked it. We are the third non-Indian occupants.
A War Ends, a Name Takes Shape
Fast forward to the summer of 1944. World War II had finally turned in favor of our side. Many foods and goods were still rationed or unavailable. Gasoline was scarce. Getting around took planning and careful use of coupons. Still,
Americans were breathing easier, including my parents. In September, they bought Overlook Farm. The name came from a spectacular view and had been bestowed, they learned, by the then-existing East Jordan newspaper. Its “society” columnist liked to say which farms were receiving “callers” and thought names made humble properties sound grander. There was no electricity. No indoor plumbing. The apple orchard had ceased production.
New Owners & New Plans
Julia and I took it over in 1972, planting tart cherries where the apples had been. There are field crops and selective cuts of timber. Recently, we added maple syrup production. Passable roads came late in the north country. Most farms got marketable crops out by boat. But as transport shifted from hulls to wheels, shoreline was developed, donated for public use or sold off.
What’s in a Name? Quite a Lot, Actually
Why is this place with dazzling views of sunsets over water, an island and wooded ridges also the last working farm actually on Lake Charlevoix? Because we elected to take dividends in the form of the deep enjoyments of legacy. In outline, Overlook remains as the Bagleys found it in 1864 and the Eisendraths 80 years later, so that a fourth generation can learn as much from it as we have.
Sylvia Gaunt in 1978, East Jordan social columnist. Read all about it in “Downstream from Here.”
Title to Overlook Farm
Magically, “The Bloom” of cherry trees at Overlook Farm is always May 15th.
LAKE CHARLEVOIX Maple™ SYRUP FORMERLY BRANDED OVERLOOK FARM MAPLE SYRUP
Dark & Best That Way
Many people, including a disproportionate number of chefs, think the traditional industrial grading system for syrup had it all wrong. Light color got an “A.” We think the top grade should be “B” and mean “Best.” We make as much as we can.
The Shack and the Pour
Large producers these days think efficient production using vacuum pumps to draw sap from trees and boiling it over “clean” natural gas in automated systems is the way to go. If profit rules, it probably is. But who doesn’t think pancakes cooked over campfires taste better? That’s the magic we’re after, taking sap at the trees’ pace. We boil over splits of beech, ash and maple itself from nearby hillsides, savoring the smoky steam.
New Label, Same Syrup
Finally, there’s the label, adapted from a famous touristic depiction by Irene Harsha Young, whose husband Earl, a real estate man, created Charlevoix’s famous “mushroom” houses in his spare time. Irene drew and hand-painted the map in 1934. A decade later, Earl sold Overlook Farm to the Eisendrath family, who hung a copy in the stairway hall. It’s still there.
THE SYRUP
It’s called Lake Charlevoix Maple™ because it’s from the last working farm on those iconic waters. Hand-tapped, boiled over seasoned hardwood splits and bottled at Overlook Farm.
THE BOOK
Jeff Daniels: “Written with the eye of a journalist, the prose of a novelist and the wit of a humorist, “Downstream from Here takes you on a long walk down the path that leads to a life truly lived. Prepare to be inspired.”
THE FOUNDER
After international assignments for Time Magazine, Eisendrath joined the University of Michigan faculty and patented a grill that his son adapted for use in 50 countries. Now he aims to bring artisanal maple syrup to an online audience.
“I’ve so enjoyed sharing your amazing syrup with friends”
Lisa Baker, Communications Consultant, Barton Hills, MI.