Estimated read time: 6-7 minutes
LINDON — Having finished medical school and residency in South Carolina, Alan Colledge and his wife Kristine decided to return to Utah and start his medical practice in Salt Lake City.
That was in 1988.
In 1853, Joseph Wadley came to Utah from England at the age of 23. He came from a long line of horticulturists and, in the early 1860s, homesteaded land in what was then called Stringtown, in the shadow of Mt. Timpanogos, with a plan to raise fruit trees.
The Homestead Act of 1869 allowed Wadley to take legal title to that 160 acres of land, part of what would later be called Lindon.
According to Alan Colledge, his grandfather, Joseph Daniel Wadley Jr. purchased the farm for $16,000 in 1926, from his father. The purchase included the farmhouse built in 1890, which is still occupied, and the grounds surrounding it that were designed by one of the planners of Salt Lake City's Liberty Park.
As Colledge and his wife returned to Utah in 1988, the farm was held in a trust by Wadley's four daughters, following his death in 1984. The farm's rich history had included housing and employing a Japanese family, as well as having German soldiers picking fruit under armed guard during World War II.
Colledge's mother, one of Wadley's daughters, encouraged him to buy his family's farm and make his home in Lindon.
"For past generations of Wadleys, they worked this land and it provided for their families; my husband has memories of staying and working here as a child and this being entirely a working farm," Kristine Colledge recalled.
Ongoing transformation and careful preservation
Today, Wadley Farms consists of nearly 20 acres, and numerous buildings have been added or renovated. Less than 1% of Lindon is zoned for agricultural use, according to the Colledge family, and Wadley Farms is surrounded by suburban neighborhoods.
In 1988, that original quarried stone farmhouse had one bathroom and two bedrooms. It didn't meet earthquake requirements. The decision to save and add onto that house began the journey of preserving existing buildings and adding others — with historical preservation in mind.
The original chicken coop was converted into a garage and workshop. A hay barn, originally built in 1952 in Orem, was also relocated to Wadley Farms.
As requests began to come from the community to hold weddings in the barn, it was eventually converted into a wedding and reception center. This coincided with fewer livestock animals being kept on the farm.
An old-world style was chosen for the barn renovation, and that decision would also guide future design decisions at the farm.
The original railroad station from the town of Topliff, an historic ghost town located approximately 50 miles west of Lindon in Tooele County, was moved to the farm in 1992 and later renovated in that same old-world style in 2004. Additional doors, large wood beams and a fireplace were added.
The original granary was moved to a new reception garden where rock walls and a new turret furthered the old-world feel of the farm.
For past generations of Wadleys, they worked this land and it provided for their families; my husband has memories of staying and working here as a child and this being entirely a working farm.
–Kristine Colledge
Part of the renovated chicken coop was then demolished, but the workshop remained and later was replaced with an office, bride's room and storage room. An Airbnb vacation rental was added over the shop.
At each step of the journey, decorative gardens and pathways were built to provide access to the various buildings. With the original hay barn having been converted to a permanent wedding space, a historic Lindon barn built by the Wiggington family in 1900 was purchased and part of it moved to Wadley Farms and rebuilt.
Keeping it going
Through the years, over 5,000 trees — including new fruit orchards and 2,000 grapevines — have been planted at Wadley Farms. Some acreage has also been dedicated to vegetables, which are sold along with fruit at Harmon's grocery stores, Chavez Farms street stands, Tagge Fruit locations and various farmer's markets throughout northern Utah.
The farm has created "experiences" to allow locals to harvest their own fruit, and even make and bottle their own grape juice.
While several dozen beef cattle and sheep have been raised at the farm over the past 35 years, the meat has largely served the needs of the family and the farm's event-catering business.
As the city of Lindon grew, and the farm gradually shrunk, it became clear that a 20-acre livestock and produce farm couldn't be sustainable.
The farm's general manager, Tanner Colledge, and his wife have brought vast hospitality experience to the farm and have helped create a sustainable business model of hosting events, weddings and now, three vacation rental properties — with plans for a fourth. Partnering with Carlos Chavez, of Chavez Farms, adds to the farm's produce profitability, and collects on Chavez's horticultural expertise.
"In the future, we're talking about a farm-to-table restaurant and a fruit and vegetable stand that would combine with everything we do now to make the farm a destination for even more people," he said.
Uniquely curated
The farm's largest project began with drawings and a clay model made by Alan and Kristine Colledge in November of 2010. The plans called for the construction of an old-world-style castle, complete with multiple turrets, to be built on the highest point of the farm. In keeping with the tradition of using reclaimed and historical materials, the structure of the castle is supported by massive wood and steel beams originally located at Geneva Steel and Hill Air Force Base. Additional materials came from Salt Lake City's historic Union Pacific Railroad depot.
An antique hand-forged chandelier from Normandy, France, hangs by a chain that Colledge's great-great-grandfather Wadley salvaged from the U.S. Army at Utah's Camp Floyd in 1861 when troops disembarked to join the U.S. Civil War.
Capstones from Salt Lake City's Cathedral of the Madeline were repurposed into sitting benches outside of the completed castle. The stone fireplace on the main level measures nearly 40 feet tall.
The castle enables the farm to host not only large weddings, but business retreats and events of most any kind. The castle, and the farm, have also been featured in several motion pictures including the Hallmark-style productions "Matchmaker Christmas" and "Timeless Love."
Wadley Farms also donates the space for a variety of charitable causes. A helicopter pad was constructed on the farm to be used primarily by the clients of a local jet charter service; it allows brides and grooms to make a grand entrance, should they wish.
"It's taken all of 35 years to settle on a sustainable business model for the farm," said Alan Colledge. "But we take care of our family, and currently employ twenty people, the way our ancestors did on this land."
Colledge, now retired from medicine, intends for the farm to meet the needs of his family and the surrounding community for at least another 150 years.
