Traverse City, Michigan -
World Champion Cow of the Insane

World Champion Cow of the Insane

Traverse Colantha Walker was a grand champion milk cow. You can visit her grave, marked with a big tombstone, on the property of the insane asylum where she was raised. Roadsideamerica.com Report...

World Champion Cow of the Insane - Festival

In honor of Traverse Colantha Walker's great accomplishments, we are throwing an annual festival in her honor:

Sunday, June 13, 2010 (10am-7pm) Traverse Colantha Walker Dairy Festival!

We invite you to be part of the 1st TC Walker Dairy Festival, in The Village at Grand Traverse Commons. Indulge in our Pancake Breakfast and Grilled Cheese Grill-off, stroll the Farmers Market, and the Avenue of Food and Art Vendors, participate in the Parade to Colantha's grave site at the historic barns...and much more!

This is a family friendly event, with live music and free activities for all ages scheduled throughout the day. 806 Red Drive (behind Building 50). [Kristen Messner, 05/27/2010]

[RA: Is that a tiny Colantha delusion, or the milk of human madness?]

World Champion Cow of the Insane

The grave of world champion cow, Calantha, is now a part of a 26-acre botanic garden, which is located inside a 56-acre new park - the Historic Barns Park. The botanic garden -- and the larger park -- will protect not only Calantha's grave, but the meadows, hills and wetlands of this lovely area.

Calantha doesn't have to roll over in her grave - her barn and farmland and woodlands are now protected for the future. [Karen, 01/27/2010]

Insane Asylum, Champion Milk Cow

Growing up in Traverse City, we found it very exciting and spooky to bicycle through the grounds of what used to the the state's largest insane asylum. It was built around the turn of the century on roughly 200 acres. All the buildings are connected by a web of underground tunnels. Near one of the farm buildings was a plaque attached to a rock that read:

Home of Cowlantha Walker
World Champion Milk Producer

The plaque listed the amount of gallons of milk and cream she produced in her lifetime. Most of the buildings are still standing, but slowly falling to development of the neighboring medical facility. The grounds are still public. It's worth the trip to see all the old majestic buildings with their high spires and chained-in porches and windows. [Vince Opper, 08/07/1998]