Tomb of the Cow
Sometimes a rise to world fame has very humble beginnings; and so
it was for Colantha Walker, the wonder cow.
The
Northern Michigan Asylum opened in 1885 and eventually grew into a
giant complex on the outskirts of Traverse City, Michigan. In fact,
at one point the population of the hospital complex, 3,500, was
greater than the population of the city at that time. The Asylum
was self-sufficient with its own farms, gardens, fire department and
power plant. It had its own orchards of peaches, apples and
cherries, its own vineyards and vegetable gardens, field crops and a
wide variety of livestock including a herd of cows. The most famous
of these, actually the most famous inhabitant of the asylum period,
was Colantha Walker, a grand champion milk cow.
When Colantha went to her reward in 1932, the staff and patients of the asylum held a banquet in her honor and erected a huge granite tombstone over her grave. Colantha's accomplishments have been commemorated by a Dairy Festival on the grounds.
The Asylum closed in 1989 but the 500 acre property has been repurposed. The old asylum buildings are creamy brick and are architecurally spectacular. The complex is being transformed into an entire town with unique shops, galleries, restaurants, apartments and condominiums. Even if the tomb were not there, it is worth a visit just to see the gigantic structure that was once the asylum.
The Tomb of the Cow is tucked away on the south edge of the propery
near the old original barns. At a curve in the road just south of
two champion Black Willows, the engraved stone sits between two
trees. As far as we know, she is the only resident of the asylum to
be buried there.
Just another unique destination on the back roads of Michigan.