Bufka Farm

The picturesque setting of the buildings on the Bufka farm has been the object of many artists and photographers for many decades. Pictures have appeared in many books and on many calendars.

The original home of the first owners is believed to be the one with three log walls. The front wall was replaced with shingles and several windows. The building was added to and the roof raised in the 1930’s.

Charles Bufka bought the farm and settled there in 1880 at age 49. He married Mary Hotove of Cleveland Township and together they had five children. The youngest, Joseph, stayed on the farm and married Agnes Schafer of Indiana. Together they had six sons.

The farm had been home to the Bufka family for 123 years. It was a general farm of two hundred acres which produced crops and animals mostly for their own use. Potatoes, eggs, butter, and cream were all products they sold at various times.

For about thirty years in the mid-twentieth century the Bufka family was known for the many gallons of maple syrup they produced and sold at the farm.

Many descendants of Charles and Mary Bufka still live in Leelanau County. Norbert Bufka has written a book about his family called, “From Bohemia to Good Harbor”. The book is for sale in the Olsen Farm History Center.