I grew up here.

This is the Michael and June Chapko farm. They had 9 children. Three boys and six girls. This is Louis Chapko writing these comments. The lean to on the barn was added on in the 70s. Just behind the silo is a shed about the size of a 3-car garage. We transported that shed from the Ashley, Michigan area by cutting it in half using a hand saw. Then transporting it on a flat rack hay wagon. The original shed was the size of a two-car garage. We added the 3rd bay in the middle once we got the two pieces to our farm. This shed was also added on in the 70s.

This is Jim Chapko. Louis’s brother. I too grew up there. The tree line on the top of photo was Maple River Road. The Maple River flowed along the road down the bank. We spent many a day along the river fishing boating and ice skating in the winter. We also tapped many maple trees to make our own maple syrup. I remember cutting the shed in two and bringing it to the farm. A lot of hours were spent rebuilding and expanding the shed. All done by hand. Manual labor was an every day event.