Wisconsin State Game Farm – Poynette WI

Description

The Wisconsin State Game Farm is a 500-acre game farm located next to the MacKenzie Center, approximately three miles west of Poynette, WI. In 1934, the state of Wisconsin purchased land for the raising and studying of pheasants and other animals and named the new site the Wisconsin State Experimental Game and Fur Farm.

In 1938, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) began renovating existing structures and adding new facilities to the Farm. Some of these facilities included much-needed storage facilities like a 75-foot barn, refrigeration facilities, slaughterhouses, and new pens for animals like raccoons. WPA carpenters also constructed a sawmill for use in future projects undertaken by the WPA in the future of the site. The WPA also constructed a residence building to be used by the farm manager, with an adjoining lecture hall. A transformer building was constructed on the property to hold the farm’s main electrical grid. The project cost a total of $84,928 split between funds from the WPA and a sponsor. The WPA donated a total of $50,131 on the project, while the sponsor spent $34,797. An average of 62 workers worked on the project during its 5 years from 1936 to 1941. The completion of the project enabled the Conservation Department to “more than double” the annual production of game bird chucks for release throughout Wisconsin, as taken from the 1938 Biennial Report to the State Conservation Commission.

Because of the farm’s new facilities, game and animal stocking were positively impacted in the local community and around the state, seeing an increase in recreational hunting. The farm and adjoining MacKenzie Center served (and still serve) as a beacon of conservation efforts, with many tourists and prospective conservationists. The farm educates visitors on the importance of conservation and other works of nature. The farm was often a destination spot, with classes winning field trips to go visit. The WPA also sent workers to manage the farm, although by the end of the New Deal, their numbers dwindled. The farm was eventually closed as a separate entity and conjoined with the MacKenzie Center (which is located right next to the farm), which is how it now operates today.