Muller's Lane Farm

On an eleven-acre Illinois homestead, between farmland and a subdivision, a husband and wife are keeping alive the practices of farming and homemaking that thrived 100 years ago.

Cyndi and Paul Muller’s homestead isn’t exactly on the prairie but is about 115 miles west of Chicago. And it comes close to recreating what Laura Ingalls Wilder described in her popular “Little House on the Prairie” books. In part, they inspired the Mullers to go “back to the land” and to a simpler way of life.

“When Paul and I met this is the dream that we had,” she says. “Once we got established we thought what fun to bring ‘Little House’ to life for kids.”

Muller’s Lane Farm is a throwback to earlier times and is the kind of farm many people’s grandparents or great-grandparents grew up on. The farm is populated by an assortment of animals including milk cows, chickens, geese, plow horses, and pigs. Paul’s day starts and ends with milking the cows. In between, he’s blacksmithing, hauling hay, and shoveling lots of manure. Much of it comes from draft horses who pull the manure spreader that Paul uses to prepare his fields. “Oh, you farm with horses, it’s just wonderful. Great to have a simple lifestyle,” he muses. “Man, there’s nothingff and park them in the garage.”

What used to take farmers and teams of horses days to plow can now be done in hours by a couple of John Deere tractors. Paul and Cyndi use modern equipment only when it’s necessary.

There’s nothing like coming up to the back porch at end of a long day, sweaty from the garden or working with horses, just sitting on the back porch and looking around, seeing what God has given us. It’s very, very rewarding. I would say to people thinking about moving out to the country, do it, take it slow but do it. — Paul Muller

Almost everything is still done the old-fashioned way. Cyndi makes and sells a variety of home wares including hand-crafted soaps and honey from her beehive. One of her passions is teaching spinning classes using wool from angora rabbits. She feels it’s important for kids to learn how to be more resourceful and know how to spin wool, preserve food, and make essentials like soap and candles.

Muller’s Lane Farm serves as an inspiration to people looking to go back to the land. David and Michele Hass and their ten children recently visited to find out how the Mullers have done it. David Hass still works as a firefighter and paramedic in the suburbs of Chicago but hopes to lead a simpler life with his family on their own homestead.

Additional information:
Muller’s Lane Farm really is a labor of love. The farm makes money but not enough to pay the bills. David Hass is a firefighter, Paul Muller is the handyman, blacksmith and furniture maker. You can also find him putting his blacksmithing skills to work at the nearby John Deere Historic Site in Dixon, Illinois. If you’d like to find out more about Muller’s Lane including farm tours, go to their web site at www.mullerslanefarm.com

Muller’s Lane Farm is located near the small town of Rock Falls, Illinois. Not far away are the so-called “Quad Cities” of Moline/East Moline and Rock Island in Illinois, and Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa. These cities and the surrounding area are becoming popular stops for people interested in agri-tourism. Attractions include the impressive John Deere Pavilion and numerous pumpkin patches, corn mazes and farmers’ markets in the fall. For more information and travel tips, go to www.visitquadcities.com