In the first few years, Michael cleared his land, trapped animals and sold the skins while he began his small garden and orchard. He raised cows, chickens and pigs as well. But perhaps what Michael is best known for is his deadly encounter with a bear who attacked one of his pigs. Michael, it is said, stood up to the bear and grabbed a nearby axe to kill the bear with a few swift blows. This act of bravery earned him the name "Fearless Mike".

As Michael settled into his new home, he began developing his orchard and when it began producing enough fruit, he transported the fruit by horse and wagon to Port Huron to sell at their large farmers market. Later, Michael added dairy cattle, hogs, chickens and field crops to his growing farm. Eventually, Michael passed on his farm to his son George, who continued to expand the orchard operation and acquire more land. The farm was later passed onto Michael's grandson Byron, after George's death in early middle age.

The farm continued to thrive under Byron's leadership and he further expanded the farm, adding more dairy cows in the early 1900's. Later Byron married Martha Edna and had five children - Martha, Edna, George, Frank and Harvey. All 5 children attended the 1869 Sikes School and earned high school diplomas. Byron's son George stayed on to work the farm with his father, while the daughters married and left the farm. Byron's son Frank chose to pursue a career in major league baseball. Byron's son Harvey went on to graduate from Michigan State University with a Bachelor's degree in business, but later was called back to the family farm to help his brother George when Byron's health began to fail. Harvey returned to the farm with his wife Lida and their 3 children - Armand and twins, Katherine and Russell. Harvey built the white clapboard house in the 1920s that the family still lives in today. Harvey later took over the farm after the passing of his father, mother, and brother George.

Each decade after Harvey took the reigns was marked by progress and change in the farming and orchard operation. He expanded the orchard acreage and began selling his fruit at the Eastern Market in Detroit. One day, when the Eastern Market was full, Harvey decided to sell his peaches right out of his truck on the side of the road and setup two tin signs, 50-cents and 75-cents, for a bushel of peaches. Those tin signs still reside at Westview Orchard today and began what would become the retail farm market operation for Westview Orchard. Next, Harvey purchased the Sikes school, moved it west across Van Dyke and used the building as a farm market and grading room after replacing the side windows with two large doors.

As the Industrial Revolution progressed, things continued to change on the farm. Harvey's son Armand joined his father on the farm and working horses were replaced with tractors and trucks. In the early 1940's, Harvey built a cold storage and grading facility which is still in use today. In the 1950's the hog operation was sold. By the mid-1960's the dairy operation had been sold as well. Mechanization arrived on the farm with the introduction of fork lifts and bin boxes, replacing the labor-intensive Owosso crates. During the 1970's, the grading system was upgraded with the latest in grading lines - a circular, rotating table.

After the sudden death of Armand in 1981, the three women of Westview - Harvey's daughter Katherine and her daughters Abigail and Katrina -continued to expand and improve the farm. Focusing on quality and efficiency, the farm added many new resource-conserving innovations, some invented by Abigail's husband Bill. Working with MSU in 1980, Westview Orchards began implementing the principles of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) using insect traps to monitor problem insects, and computerized weather stations to predict crop infestations. The family also implemented new planting configurations to include insect "repellent" techniques. In 1994, the family farm was recognized by the county soil conservation district as Macomb County's "Conservation Farm of the Year" for their IPM practices, use of special "prescribed" orchard grasses that reduce soil erosion on the orchard's hills, implementing trickle irrigation throughout the orchards and participating in on-going MSU research to reduce their use of insecticides.

Many newspaper articles have referred to the women of Westview as the women of the 90's and now the new milennium - women succeeding in the predominantly man's world of farming. However, they are more than liberated women, displaying the spirit of their ancestors, those early pioneers whose determination and courage built the Westview Orchards you see today.

Westview Orchards now spreads outward on both sides of Van Dyke and encompasses 188 acres of fruit trees and crops including apples, peaches, cherries, pears, plums, nectarines, grapes and fall vegetables. Throughout the years, Westview Orchards has evolved from a simple farm to a place of family fun and entertainment for all ages.

When you visit Westview Orchards today, you can stock up on homegrown fruits and vegetables from the farm market, sample fresh apple cider from the state-of-the-art cider mill, enjoy homemade confections in K's Kitchen Bakery, visit and pet the farm animals, challenge yourself in the 5-acre corn maze, feel like a kid again in the Kidz Korner, pick apples or pumpkins or sit back and enjoy a cozy wagon ride through the picturesque orchards.

We invite you to bring your family to Westview Orchards for an unforgettable day of family fun. Experience the commitment and dedication of 6 generations working to bring you the highest quality fruits and vegetables, as well as a place where old fashioned values and fun are still part of the traditions.