Pioneering a new industry for the area and starting a family legacy, James A. & Phoebe Clark planted some of the very first fruit trees in the valley on their 20 acre farm in 1897. Their fruit growing dreams preceded the Grande River Diversion Dam and Palisade’s canal systems, so their earliest crops were watered with buckets hauled from the Colorado River by horse drawn wagons. They also used horse-drawn plows and discs to prepare the ground for planting, a nostalgic practice the family continues to this day. The farm has grown to include over 140 owned and leased ​acres, producing apricots, cherries, peaches, pears, plums, and vegetables.