Hickey Farm was established in 1923 when Harold “Jack” Hickey arrived from Montana with his mother, siblings, and stepfather. This was originally a stump farm where draft horses were trained, located on an old railroad spur and logging road, remnants of the original Humbird Mill lands. Jack’s stepfather, Paul Nealy, cleared the fields, built the original dairy barn, and started a Holstein dairy in 1928. Jack grew up working on the dairy farm with his stepfather, then married and brought the love of his life, Lois, to the farm where they raised their own family. Jack applied to name the county road after his surname. Additionally, he along with other dairy farmers created and launched the Oden Water system to provide a dependable water supply for the cows when the wells were low during two months of the year.

 

Jack and Lois had two children, Jim and Jackie. Jim grew up in his father’s footsteps, working the farm, managing the dairy and his beef herd. In 1996, Jim and Bob Wood bought the antique custom sawmill from Vay, Idaho and reassembled it on the farm. Jim learned to become an expert sawyer, logging and milling custom pieces for both the farm and customers in the local area. Once the dairy was shut down in 2000, beef, hay, and timber sustained the farm until Jackie’s family joined the effort and created a much-loved Pumpkin Festival and corn maze. The pumpkin patch continued until 2022 when it discontinued operation.