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It happened in 1932: A champion cow is buried at a Michigan psychiatric asylum


Among the weirder sentences you’ll read today: A world-champion dairy cow is not only buried at a historic Michigan asylum, but there’s also an annual festival held in her name.

Traverse Colantha Walker was a Holstein-Friesian cow that lived on the grounds of the Traverse City State Hospital nearly a century ago. At that time, the Traverse City State Hospital — which was called the Northern Michigan Asylum when it first opened in 1885 — was a sprawling psychiatric institution with a self-sufficient farm.

When it came to producing food for those who lived and worked at the hospital, Traverse Colantha Walker went above and beyond. In 1926, Walker produced more than 22,000 pounds of milk — more than five times the state average that year — making her the highest-producing cow in the world. In her 16-year lifetime, according to the Village at Grand Traverse Commons (a historic preservation redevelopment at the site of the former hospital), she produced more than 200,000 pounds of milk and 7,000 pounds of butterfat.

The cow was beloved by so many that when she died in 1932, she was buried on the asylum’s property. A memorial stone still stands today on her grave site near the hospital’s historic barns. 

In 2009, the Commons began holding an annual dairy festival in honor of Traverse Colantha Walker and her impressive achievements. The 2017 Traverse Colantha Walker Dairy Festival is scheduled for June 11 and will include a grilled cheese grill-off, a memorial parade to Walker’s headstone, a pancake breakfast and other events.

Further proof of her fame? Walker also has her own Facebook page: facebook.com/asylumcow

Source: mLive


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