Farm Ponds

Farm ponds mainly date from the World War II period and thereafter. Pond building seems to have been a response to a number of forces. Insurance companies regarded them with approval, and in the postwar period farmers often had physical plants worth protecting. Large scale earth moving equipment was available. Interest in recreational uses rose; many pond owners stocked them with fish, installed docks, etc. In some instances, expertise was made available by local soil conservation services. Farm ponds can be found throughout the state. In some areas they are so numerous that they substantially changed the overall rural landscape.

Image of a farm pond in Mount Pleasant Township, Washington County
Farm pond, Washington County, date unknown, probably post-1945.