Let's Meet At Burns' Cabins

From: The Seattle Times 1896-1996
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/special/centennial/september/photo/burn...

IN 1919, A NEWLYWED COUPLE CLAIMED A HOMESTEAD AMONG THE FAR SAN JUAN ISLANDS, retiring, as they put it, when they were still young enough to enjoy their freedom. Living in a canvas tent, alone on their island, they sunned naked on the rocks and talked the nights away by the red flames of driftwood fires. They agreed: Their lives would be a series of adventures.

June Burn and her easygoing husband, Farrar, lived the dream. With new baby North, they ventured cross-country in a donkey cart, selling songs to pay their way. Later, she and her second son, South, took off on a hiking trip through the West, meeting hoboes and singers, beggars and thieves. When you're driving, you're never there, she explained in "Living High," her autobiography, but when you're walking, you are always there.

When June briefly taught at the University of Washington, Times society editor Virginia Boren visited her cramped little digs in the U. District. In a gloved-and-hatted era, June was at her glowing best in sneakers, jeans and a castoff sweater. Puzzled but charmed, Boren jotted notes as June chatted of Madrona trees and clam digs. At the interview's end, June spread out her treasure -- a collection of tide-polished beach pebbles -- and invited the journalist to choose one, for keeps.

Farrar once ruefully confessed, "I guess we'll be amateurs at everything until we die, (but) you know a man can't have any more than this. The earth, this sea, a beach, food, companionship. This is all any man can get." Perched on the windswept coast, June and Farrar Burn lived on the very margins of Northwest society, but her prose welcomed island dreamers.

From: The Center for Pacific Northwest Studies
http://www.acadweb.wwu.edu/cpnws/burn/burnbio.htm

June Burn was born Inez Chandler Harris on June 19, 1893, in Anniston, Alabama. She was hired as a staff writer for McCall’s Magazine in 1917, which sparked her interest in writing. June met Farrar Burn (born September 22, 1888) while living in a cabin near Washington, D.C., and the two were wed in 1919.

Because of their mutual love of nature and disregard for the routines of a workaday world, the couple chose to try and find their own island to homestead – a choice that led them across the country to the San Juan Islands in the Puget Sound. They were the last homesteaders in the San Juan Islands, settling on Sentinel Island, just west of the Spieden Channel. It was here that their first son, North, was born. Their second son, Bob (South) Burn was born 29 months later in a hospital near the cabin where June and Farrar had first met.

In 1920 June and Farrar were granted teaching appointments from the Bureau of Education in the Alaska School Service and assigned to Gambell, St. Lawrence Island in Alaska. For a year they lived and worked closely with the Eskimo population there. When June became pregnant with North they came back to the San Juans.

June and Farrar’s adventures took them across the country, and brought them back to a farm on Waldron Island in the San Juans. Prior to settling on Waldron, June and Farrar (and sons) lived in Bellingham, Washington. Farrar built June Acres, two cabins located in the woods surrounding what is now Fairhaven College at Western Washington University. It was during this time that June wrote a daily column for the Bellingham Herald entitled “Puget Soundings,” detailing her own adventures in the area as well as the countless stories of local residents.

The popularity of her column prompted her to create her own weekly newspaper, which was filled with “pictures of this scenic land and with articles and stories by all the writers and leaders of the Northwest.” The paper was popular in Bellingham, but the small audience couldn't justify the costs of the paper. Therefore June and Farrar moved the publication to Seattle for a short time. In all, The Puget Sounder lasted from 1935-1939.

In 1941 June published Living High: An Unconventional Autobiography. Following the success of her book, in 1946 June and Farrar bought a surplus Coast Guard lifeboat and began their “100 Days in the San Juans,” traveling around the islands and collecting stories of the islands and their inhabitants that were printed as a column in the Seattle P.I. The stories were collected together in 1983, and published as a book by the same name.

  Later in their lives Farrar traveled the country lecturing on “How to Be Happy, Anyway,” and June taught for a short while at the University of Washington. Their adventures led them all across the country, where they spent time living in New York, Washington D.C., California, Florida, and Arkansas.

In 1967, after deciding not to return to Sentinel Island, June and Farrar moved to a small farm near Fort Smith, Arkansas – Farrar’s home town. June died there in 1969, followed by Farrar in 1975.

Wow!

Uber cool to see people post about my family.  My full name is Finnian Farrar Burn, I'm a great grandson.  There are quite a few other Burn's here in Bellingham.  Lisa, my aunt works in the college of education, there are three cousins, one at WWU, one at Whatcom and one who graduated from WWU a while back living in town, plus Doris Burn, South's wife lives in the Leapold and another aunt, Skye also live here.  We still own the land out on Waldron and often visit during the summers.  Every now and again I go and visit June Acre's just to immerse myself in a bit of empathetic nostalgia.

If you can get a copy, you should read 'Living High', it's sweet, fun and entertaining.  I've been speaking with KUOW and the public insight network who are doing a series of radio broadcasts on the history of Washington, there's a possibility that June and Farrar's story will be included.

Sincerely,
Finnian Burn

Hi Finnian,

How wonderful to meet you. My father, the late Don F. Blood, read "Living High"  to us as children. He ran the Testing Center here at WWU. Also, between 1950-1987, you couldn't become a teacher at Western without passing the "Blood Test" . Dad taught teachers how to write tests. Otherwise wonderful educators can be terrible test writers.

My mother, Pat Blood, taught for years at Shuksan Middle School and then taught for many more at Whatcom Middle School.

Did you ever visit June Acres when the Outback flourished?

So cool to see you posting, and that there was an article done about your family, Finnian. My partner and I are building a home on Waldron. His family has been out there since the 1960's. Living High is sitting next to my bed right now, waiting for me to dive into it. Life continues to be good out there, and my life right now is pushing me like a loving current toward being out there full time. Please feel free to be in touch and stop by our place when you are out there!
~Keturah

Where are you on the island?  I'm planning on spending some time out there in August.  I think one of my favorite memories as a child was staying with South (Bob) at his cabin on fishery point during the summers.  I'd chop wood, haul water and run around with the other kids. At night we'd eat scalloped potatoes with spam and read Louie Lamore novels by lantern light.  It's a completely different lifestyle.  My uncle Tian and his wife Peruse commuted for awhile, living up on the island so their children could experience it.  I've always thought it would be the perfect place to write a novel...

Fin

I am publishing the following communication from Jamie Jedinak here on Western's Forum and out on NW Citizen.

Thanks Kamalla,

I am DELIGHTED to meet at The Burn's Cabins...It has been many years since I fought hard for those cabins and The Outback on The Outback Steering committee in the early 90's. I had my own little garden plot there and lived in Dorm Stack 8 my first year at western 1981. Got rammed in the face by a pissed off Mama Goat when I approached to say hello to her and her baby one day while roaming the outback spaces........Never knew that could happen..."Wake up Jamie"...My dorm room looked out over the Outback and I adored it! I was so blessed to have such a daily gaze. I return every year to honor the space and taste her scrumptious blackberries, often saddened by the lack of care and interest in the space....at least we kept it from becoming more parking at that was our ONLY PRIORITY at that time....phew.....

~ Jamie Jedinak

Hi!

It's wonderful to read about all of this--since I came to Fairhaven two years ago, I have been fascinated by the cabins. Unfortunately, past all the unique and wonderful history of the place, there has been a definite lack of action to save the cabins--not that people aren't trying!

I was actually part of a loose group which formed my first semester to try and begin yet another restoration of the cabins. However, after speaking to a Fairhaven Prof. Gary Bornzin, the appalling apathy of Western's administration to the historical and educational value of the cabins (as well as the Outback itself--its again being threatened by parking lots, last I heard!!!) came to light. From what we gathered, it would take something quite dramatic to get the ball rolling (a full-fledge cooperation, perhaps???) because of percieved safety risks and such. Apparently, admins are leery of letting anyone do anything in case of injury/etc. However, I think that not only is restoration plausible, but it would be a great community building experience. Also, I (and others, I'm sure) would totally dig having an alternative, student-run Fairhaven/outback library set up one of the cabins--utilizing the full potential of the historic buildings! It would be a great place for Fairhaven students (and others) to really get into the Pacific NW history/Sustainability efforts/general wonderfulness of the area :)
 
Or something! Jeez. And as far as I know, there isn't a "Save the Cabins Fund". Starting one shouldn't be too difficult ;)

What a lovely article to read! I'm just starting at WWU, and will not be attending in Bellingham (I'm taking classes through Huxley on the Peninsula-Poulsbo), so it's very interesting to me reading things about the main campus. I've never seen it! I hope to get up to Bellingham in the next year, just to spend some time wandering around the university at which I'm technically enrolled. ;) Thank you for sharing this article! It was great to hear from you, Finnian, about your family and growing up. I like stories like these. I think I'll go look for her book, now. :)

Thanks Jonesa and she-an-angel. Love reading your words.

Here is a comment from a former 1980s era Outbacker:

Feedback: Burns Cabins by Kamala Rose Kaur
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

I can write a bit about the 80's and give more names of those who know much more than me. Many are still local.
Andy Koch & John Hatten were the 80's gurus of alternative tech, I believe they created the Clivus composting toilet you mentioned. The barn, greenhouse, gardens, goats, stage, Cabins, Soup kitchen and more all were all alive and well, though constantly suffering deferred maintenance, during the 80s. Prudy Elam and David Donahue lived in the cabins, many others also took a turn. When I arrived in '82 a dancer named Jeffrey was living in the goat house. David, John & Andy are all still local. Ryan Zebold was particularly involved, he's still here. I coordinated Renaissance Fair and we had music & dancing at the Outback. Many, many student & public activities have been hosted by Outback.

Several classes and numerous Individual Study Projects (ISPs) of Fairhaven College (FC) students have been hosted using Outback. It would be interesting to learn if FC has a way to determine how many credit hours were granted for studies involving Outback. Prudy once did a philosophy/meditation ISP titled "Sitting on a Stump" ( or similar,) whereby she literally sat and contemplated the cabins, life, etc and wrote a journal about it. At some point WWU forbid further occupancy and boarded up the cabins. As always; insurance liability, fire danger, sanitation and "proper channels" were cited as reasons why life wasn't allowed to continue to flourish there.

The last time I checked online a few years ago students were stringing together mighty fine and many big words in defense of their use of the Outback for learning. Always part-time professor Gary Bornzin for many years served as the credit-conduit for students doing projects & studies at the Outback for part of their FC degrees. Dan Larner served as FC Dean for many of the years of decline while FC increasingly lost control over administration of the FC building to "Housing & Dining" authoritarians, and while the Outback was repeatedly re-drawn by WWU planners as a parking lot. Thank goodness that those plans for "progress" were never funded.

Fairhaven College for many years had a display case with memorabilia about the Burns, their cabins and life. The Burns have been cherished by many over the four+ decades of history of Fairhaven College, but sadly, the cyclical turnover of students , faculty and FC and WWU administrators means that new champions of their memory and ongoing means of institutional support and preservation are constantly in need.

Thanks for bringing up our living history. Times change, and while we busily scramble to embrace progress, there are some simple joyful things that are worth remembering & restoring. "Linked In" hosts the FC Alumni Network. There are many ways to contact WWU Alumni office & administration. Would someone please step forward and contact WWU with a challenge grant to help create a permanent fund to preserve the home sites and support activities at Outback? I would donate!

Julie Carpenter FC '88

Many former Fairhaven College Outbackers still tour the region each year with:

THE NEW OLD TIME CHAUTAUQUA!
www.youtube.com/watch

Chautauqua is a community-based, cultural and social movement that started in the 1870's and flourished in America until the mid 1920's.

During this time there existed hundreds of touring "Chautauquas" that presented lectures, dance, music, drama, and other forms of "cultural enrichment."

The movement is named for a lake in upstate New York that was the site of the first Chautauqua, which consisted of Sunday school teachers lecturing outdoors about the moral issues of the day.

Eventually it broadened and organizers brought in great orators, added music, and later theater. It is a popular belief that this type of information exchange was the origin of the current adult education movement.
Performing in tents across the country, Chautauquas were once called "the most American thing in America" by Teddy Roosevelt.

This form of outreach all but died out with the advent of film.

www.chautauqua.org/index.html

Pliny Keep has a brother. Again, both their parents, deep WWU talents. Swil Kanim told me that when he got to Sehome High School and entered the orchestra room there for the first time - a freshman, a Lummi Indian freshmen at Sehome High yet - that senior, Corbin Keep, was goofing off playing his cello, warming up before class.

"Stunned. Transported. All I could think was, 'I WANT TO PLAY LIKE HIM!"

Corbin Keep and Tom Culver
www.youtube.com/watch

Here Corby performs song written by Pliny:

Hee-Haw!
www.youtube.com/watch

From "WWU! As It Was." by The Lunch Bunch
page 428

Probably most alums and faculty, if asked, would consider Pat Karlberg 'the spirit of Fairhaven.' She came to Western in 1958 as a young student wife to work for eight years as Harwood's secretary as the chair of Psychology. Armed with only a high school diploma and twenty three years old, she looked upon college instructors as demi-gods, awe-inspiring professors on a pedestal. "Dr." this and "Dr." that.

...The pedestal splintered at Fairhaven. Pat played tennis with Professor Connie Faulkner and cooked gourmet lunches with Proferssors Michael Burnett and Gary Clevidence. Faculty here insisted on first names, not titles ( a point she never reached with founder Woodring). Wives and children became real people, not names in the telephone directory.

The first person Bob Keller met at Fairhaven was Pat Karlberg."What a nice staff" he thought. Seventeen years later they married.

Bob Keller, www.whatcomlandtrust.org/ retired Fairhaven professor, heroic PNW habitat preserver, and a folk music expert and fan. This one is humbly offered to Pat and Bob. Thank you.

I Can't Help Falling In Love With You
www.youtube.com/watch