Origins
History of the Land
Four Winds Farm recognizes its location within ancestral territory of the Ho-Chunk people: Teejop, or “Four Lakes.” Decades of forced removal began in the 1830s, but the Ho-Chunk proved resilient and continued returning to Wisconsin. Many settled on 40-acre homesteads, with no protected “rights to hunt, fish, or gather on their ceded lands.”1
Today, Four Winds Farms draws inspiration from the deep cultural connection the Ho-Chunk people had with the land, and is taking steps to ensure it will be a place for community, celebration, and connection with nature and agriculture for future generations.
1 – “Ho-Chunk Treaties and Treaty Rights” https://www.mpm.edu/content/wirp/ICW-105
In the post-colonial era, this farm has been under the stewardship of only three families. Philip Barry, son of Michael and Mary who emigrated from Ireland in the 1840s, was in possession of the property until the 1930s. Barry served several terms as Town Chair for Fitchburg.
The farm then passed into the hands of the Doerfer family, who managed the property as a thriving dairy farm for nearly 100 years.
In 2017, Mary Ann McKenzie took ownership of the property, beginning the transformation that continues today. Protecting and restoring the land’s wild spaces is a priority, as is managing the farm’s agricultural activity through the tenets of sustainability and permaculture.
The barn has been restored and modernized, becoming a space for the community to gather for arts, culture, and celebration.