Paradise in the desert

Family farm boasts 97 years of existence

COULEE CITY — While he may not know the reason behind his family swapping land in 1926 with a man called Badger, Dan Bolyard still lives off the land that has been in his family ever since. “Everyone in the family just calls it ‘the ranch’ but the original homesteader called it Paradise Farms,” said Boylard. The story behind the property begins nearly 100 years ago when Bolyard’s great-grandfather, Doliver Bolyard, swapped land with Albion Wilson, a man whom locals called Badger, Dan said.