ARLINGTON — When his father’s health began to fail in 1949, Don Tillman took over the family farm.
He’s been running the place since he was 15.
This year, the Tillman Family Dairy is the Snohomish County Centennial Farm. Each year, the county chooses one family who has run the same farm on the same plot of land for at least 100 years to receive the designation.
Don Tillman and his wife, Ann Tillman, were honored at the opening ceremony of this year’s Evergreen State Fair in Monroe.
Linda Neunzig, the county’s agricultural coordinator, spends months each year researching the centennial farms. She learns all about the families, including how they got to the United States, when they purchased land here, what the property looked like at that time and how each generation has contributed to the farm.
Neunzig believes Don Tillman has been a pioneer in the dairy industry, in many ways.
The farm started with his father, Carl Tillman, who was born in Sweden in 1886 and moved to the U.S. almost by accident. When Carl Tillman was about 20 years old, he worked with a man who planned to sail to America. That man died a week before his scheduled departure, and the ticket was given to his younger coworker.
The Swedish immigrant first settled in Minnesota, and about a decade later, in 1916, moved to the Skagit Valley. After a season of floods, he headed to the Arlington area and bought 40 acres of land.
Carl Tillman married Mabel Freeburg a few years later and the couple had four children, including Don Tillman.
Don Tillman was a sophomore in high school when his father suffered a stroke. Carl Tillman died soon after. The son dropped out to take over the farm.
“I don’t think I really gave it a thought, it was just something you did,” Don Tillman said.
Besides taking care of the farm, he took other jobs to pay off family debts. Almost a decade later, he was drafted into the military and sent to Korea.
“Some people might look at being sent over there as another bad break, but it turned out it was a real blessing in disguise,” he said. “It led me to meeting Ann.”
He met his future wife upon returning to the United States, at a USO dance. They were married on April 20, 1960, and had three children. Over the years, the farm has grown to 330 acres. On another 600 acres separate from the property, the family grows corn and hay to feed the animals.
In the early years, the family had around 30 cows. Now they milk about 300.
Not many farms are left to qualify to become a Snohomish County Centennial Farm, mostly because of the land requirements. Some may have been in the county for a century, but have moved.
No plans have been made if the selection ever runs out, said Neunzig, the agriculture coordinator.
“Maybe when we get to that point, we have to do away with the designation of the same land,” she said. “The way it is today, we are able to still recognize the family and the land, which is so special.”
Stephanie Davey: 425-339-3192; sdavey@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @stephrdavey.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
