Michigan Maple Syrup Association Fall Tour
September 22, 2001 Southwest Michigan

Stop #1 Registration 8:30 AM Jack and Jill's Hill Farm
Jack and Jill Brown
Tour 9:00-9:30 AM

From Kalamazoo, M-43 west to M-40, south (left) 1.5 miles to 38th Ave., west (right) 1 mile to 36th St. then north (right) 2/20 mile to sugar house. Or, from Kalamazoo on 1-94, at Paw Paw exit take M-40 north through Paw Paw 5.4 miles to 38th Ave. then left.
Jack started hauling sap to Root's evaporation plant while he was still a teen-ager, about 1966. The Browns have been doing their own evaporating since 1993 with a 4'x 14' Thunderbolt evaporator and a piggyback pan. All sap is from roadside trees, gravity tube and barrels, with about 3,000 taps. Jack picks up sap while Jill watches the evaporator.
In addition to both holding full time jobs, the Browns also raise grapes and asparagus, with only family help. You will pass some of the grapes and asparagus on the east part of 38th Ave.

Stop#2 10:45-11:15AM
Maple Creations
The Mesko and Hershberger families

From Brown's go back to M-40 and turn south (right). Continue on M-40 through Paw Paw, Lawton, Marcellus, all the way to M-60 at Jones. NOTE: M-40 jogs left, then right in Marcellus.
At Jones, go west (right) on M-60, all the way to Cassopolis. In Cassopolis, at the stop light, on top of the hill, beside the courthouse, CONTINUE WEST. M-60 turns, but you go straight through the light. This becomes Pokagon Highway, continue west on Pokagon to Mesko's at the corner of Pokagon Hwy and Oak Grove Rd.
Cassopolis will be your last chance at gas and fast food places. Total drive from Brown's, 44.1 miles, about 1 hour.
The Mesko's started making a little syrup in the woods in 1989. In 1994 the built a new sugarhouse beside their residence and installed a 3 'xl 0' wood fired evaporator. Since then a steam-away unit has been added. With a lot of family and neighbor help, the Meskos and Hershbergers have 1400 taps on roadside trees, with gravity tube and barrels. Sap is hauled in on a tank trailer. Jim Mesko, and son-in-law Kevin Hershberger, used to have hogs, but now do some grain farming, keep a few sheep, and hold off the farm jobs.

Stop # 3 11:30 AM-12:15 PM
Phil and Betty Meiser

From Mesko's go west 2.5 miles to the next corner, Daily Rd Turn north (right) 7/10 mile on Daily to Meiser's long driveway back to the east.

The Meiser family has made syrup on this farm for about 75 years; much of that time in a wood fired flat pan. At times, they may have been the only syrup producers in Cass County.

In about 1995, Phil put up a new building and installed a new 3'x10' wood-fired evaporator. They have about 500 taps on gravity tubing, all in their own woods and an adjoining neighbor's woods. Phil and Betty are nearly 100% of the work force. Phil does some grain farming and collects antique Cockshutt tractors, some of which will be on display

Stop #4 12:30-2:00 PM
LUNCH
Pokagon United Methodist Church

From Meiser's, go back to Pokagon Hwy, turn west (right) and go the Village of Pokagon. The church is one block south of Pokagon Hwy.

Lunch will be put on by The Old Rugged Cross Association and will be a complete Swiss steak dinner. A short MMSA business meeting will follow. After lunch, you may want to walk across the street for a quick look at the ongoing restoration of the original church, where the hymn "The Old Rugged Cross" was played for the very first time. Lunch proceeds will go to the restoration project.

Stop #5 2:10-2:45 PM Dodd's Sugar Shack
Don and Toan Todd

From Pokagon, go west to Barron Lake Road, near the railroad tracks. Turn south (left) on Barron Lake Road and continue to Cook Street. Turn east (left) on Cook Street, go to the end of the road (1 mile). Turn south (right) on Dodd Road, right at first farm.

The Dodd family has been producing syrup on their centennial farm since 1975, but there may have been a small operation on the farm in the early
1900's. In the past few years, the livestock operations have been discontinued, the cropland rented out, and Toan took on a job in town. They have been selling maple supplies and equipment since 1982.

After many changes, they are now using a 6'X16' oil fired evaporator, converted from wood, with a piggy-back pan and a 30"x 8' oil fired finish pan. Production has varied from 2000 to 4000 taps. All sap is hauled in by tank trailer from other locations, some by other producers, using both roadside and woods trees. All gravity tube. Some antiques will be on display

Stop#6 3:15-?
Cook's Sugarbush
Tom Cook and Betsy Carls
From Dodd's, go back to Barron Lake Road, turn south (left). Take Barron Lk. Rd. all the way to M-60. Turn SW (right) on M-60, continue to the overpass for US 12 Take exit ramp to the right for US 12 (7 miles from Dodd's), turn left on US 12 as if going to Sturgis. Continue on US 12 to Gumwood Road (9.9 miles from Dodd's), turn south (right) on Gumwood. Go approx. 1/2 mile to Cook's driveway, on left. NOTE! This is a nearly blind driveway, on a busy road, with no room to pull off. Stopping on Gumwood is dangerous!

The Gumwood Road property was purchased in1989, and a 15-acre reforestation project started in 1990, mostly with sugar maples. A little later, a sugarhouse was built and a homemade evaporator installed. The next year, the present "3Ox 10' wood burning evaporator was put in. About 350 taps are put out on a gravity tube with some buckets, all at other locations, and the sap hauled in by pick-up truck. Maple has to fit in between Tom's two other businesses, Betsy's job, and their quarter horses on another farm. Tom has a tractor mounted tree spade and will demonstrate moving a maple tree.
Thank you for your interest, have a safe trip home, and watch out when you pull out on Gumwood Road.

When you leave Cook's, if you turn left at the driveway, you will be just over 1 mile from the Indiana state line. Slightly over 4 miles away are the huge shopping areas of Mishawaka, with hundreds of stores. A few more miles will put you in South Bend for attractions such as the University of Notre Dame, St. Mary's, the College Football Hall of Fame, and the Studebaker (car) National Museum. South Bend, Mishawaka, and Elkhart have become nearly all one city.