The following is an excerpt from “From Bohemian to Good Harbor: The Story of the Bufka Family in Leelanau County” written by Norbert Bufka.
The Bufka farm was a general farm, not unlike the Eitzen, Kilwy, and Kropp farms nearby and most farms in the late 19th and early 20th century.
A general farm is one that grows what it needs for its own sustenance, livestock and grain primarily, as well as vegetables and fruit for the family. The Bufka family also sold produce to supplement income and purchase items like clothes, shoes, hardware, and flour that were not easily made on the farm. Claus Eitzen, a contemporary of Joseph Bufka, moved away from general farming to dairy farming He also added a cherry orchard. It is early to look at the farm buildings in their picturesque setting and not appreciate the way the Bufka family lived over the years.
