Seventy years ago this week, The Romeo Observer revealed that the Ford Motor Company bought nearly 4,000 acres of land northwest of Romeo for what is known today as the Ford Michigan Proving Grounds. This included the Hi-Point Farms, which is seen in today's photo.
This aeriel shot of the 2,500 acre farm graced the front cover of the July 22, 1954 issue of The Romeo Observer. Edward F. Fisher bought several farms in the Romeo area and began Hi-Point Farms in 1929. The name of the farm came about because a visitor to the land remarked how Trombley Mountain "was the highest point in this part of the state."
A woman, who was part of that same group, said, "That's it. That's your name. Hi-Point Farms."
For about 25 years, Hi-Point Farms had a wonderful reputation as one of the world's greatest Hereford cattle farms.
But why was this picture included in 1954? There's a long answer, so buckle up!
Let's go back to June of that year. The June 3 edition of The Romeo Observer revealed that Hi-Point Farms was sold to an undisclosed buyer. This resulted in many rumors.
One of those involved the U.S. Government planning a jet manufacturing plant and launching site. That one was disproven, for it was preparing launching sites in Utica and two at Selfridge Field.
Another rumor came from a farmer who claimed he saw soldiers in his woods. Those soldiers turned out to be boy scouts on a hike.
One last rumor involved Edward F. Fisher himself. People thought the farm was sold to General Motors due to his former ties with the business. Fisher was best known for his work with the Fisher Body Company, which supplied closed body frames to car companies like Cadillac, Buick, and Oldsmobile. General Motors would later own all of them.
It wasn't until the July 22 issue that the information about the real buyer was made public. As mentioned earlier, Ford was interested in making another proving grounds for its vehicles. The testing zone was 10 times bigger than the one in Dearborn. Earle S. McPherson, Ford vice president of engineering, stated that the new site would give the engineering staff "more than 8,000 acres of vehicle testing area."
This was the largest such facilities in the automobile industry at the time.
The land northwest of Romeo was specifically chosen because it had "suitable conditions for testing cars and trucks."
This was no surprise, for the Hi-Point Farms had two sizable hills, including Trombley Mountain, and terrain elevation varied by more than 300 feet. This definitely would have made an ideal place to test various vehicles out.
The Ford Michigan Proving Grounds in Bruce Township would open in 1956.
To learn more about the Hi-Point Farms, Edward F. Fisher, and the Ford Michigan Proving Grounds, you can contact the Romeo Community Archives at rca@romemodistrictlibrary.org or call (586) 690-4890.
Source: The Romeo Observer Press, June 3, 1954, p.I-1 and July 22, 1954, p.I-1, p.I-3, and p.I-4 and Detroit Historical Society