<emph render="italic">Living High: An Unconventional Autobiography</emph>,

XOE_CPNWS0005burn Guide to the June and Farrar Burn Papers 1888-1992; 1921-1969 Burn (June and Farrar) Papers Finding aid prepared by Finding aid prepared by Amber Raney, Michal Walden and Emiley Jensen Funding for preparing this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the Washington State Legislature to the Washington Women's History Consortium. Funding for encoding the finding aid was awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Western Washington University, Western Libraries Archives & Special Collections

Center for Pacific Northwest Studies Goltz-Murray Building 808 25th St Bellingham, WA 98225-9123 Phone: 360 650 7534 Email: cpnws@wwu.edu

© 2006 Finding aid encoded by Jason Viers. May 2004 Finding aid written in English. June and Farrar Burn Papers XOE_CPNWS0005burn Western Washington University, Western Libraries Archives & Special Collections

Center for Pacific Northwest Studies Goltz-Murray Building 808 25th St Bellingham, WA 98225-9123 Phone: 360 650 7534 Email: cpnws@wwu.edu

Collection materials are in English. 11.0 linear feet 1921-1969 1888-1992 1921-1969 The June and Farrar Burn Papers at the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies comprises an assortment of writings, correspondence, and photographs that reflect the lives of proud Puget Sound residents, June and Farrar Burn. The collection includes stories and correspondence from both June and Farrar that range from their adventures in Alaska in 1921 to their semi-retirement in Florida and Arkansas in the 1960s. Burn, Farrar Burn, June; Biographical/Historical note

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.

The June and Farrar Burn Papers at the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies comprise a wide assortment of writings, correspondence, and photographs that reflect the lives of Puget Sound residents, June and Farrar Burn. The papers range from 1888-1992. With the exception of the materials produced during their Alaska School Service with the Eskimos at Gambell, St. Lawrence Island, Alaska from 1920-1921, the bulk of the materials date between 1941 and 1962.

June’s personal papers contain correspondence, journals, writings, notes, poetry, radio transcripts, and includes research. Correspondence includes letters from Eleanor Roosevelt and the White House, writer, W.E. Woodward and extensive communication with life long friends Katherine Fulkerson and Marion Lapp. The collection has over ninety of June’s titled writings including several versions of "How to be Happy Anyway." Scrapbooks contain June's newspaper columns “Puget Soundings” and “100 Days in the San Juans". Research materials pertain to topics including eye health, nutrition, organic farming and soil research.

Farrar’s papers include correspondence, writings, and several of his songs and drawings. Songs contain published titles: "I Wanta Yes-Yes Baby!," "Come Back to Me" and "Cascade Range: Out Where the Swift Rivers Flow" as well as several unpublished compositions, all dating from the 1920s to the 1960s. Farrar's papers also hold an audiocassette recording of an interview conducted by June of Farrar in 1949 and three LP sound recordings created by Farrar in the 1940s.

Burn Family papers contain materials produced by and about June and Farrar's sons, North and Bob (South), including correspondence dated 1940-1991. Writings include copies of June and Farrar’s joint project, the newspaper The Puget Sounder, dated May 1935-March 1939. Family papers also contain Sentinel Island property agreements, and a small watercolor painting entitled “English Camp, San Juan Island.”

June and Farrah's 1920-1921 Alaska trip is well-documented in June's journal entries, correspondence, writings including "Romantic Adventure in Behring Sea" and various Eskimo folk tales. Farrah Burn's papers and Burn Family papers also include correspondence and other materials pertaining to the Alaska School Service.

Family photographs dated 1888-1975 reflect many aspects of the Burn family's life and travels, including images of Waldron Island, the San Juans, and St. Lawrence Island, Alaska.

The June and Farrar Burn Papers are organized in accordance with the following series and sub-series arrangement:

Series I: Personal Papers, circa 1902-1992 Sub-series 1: June Burn, circa 1914-1968Sub-series 2: Farrar Burn, circa 1902-1972Sub-series 3: Burn Family, 1921-1992 Series II: Photographs, circa 1888-1975

Publication Restriction until 2025: The researcher must receive written permission from the donor or individual authorized by the donor before quotation or reproduction of papers for publication.

June and Farrar Burn papers, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, Western Libraries Archives & Special Collections, Western Washington University, Bellingham WA 98225-9123.

About Harmful Language and Content

To learn more about problematic content in our collections, collection description and teaching tools (including how to provide feedback or request dialogue on this topic), see the following Statement About Potentially Harmful Language and Content

The June and Farrar Burn papers originally contained a small number of items donated to the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies in 1985 by June and Farrar's son, Bob (South) Burn. The papers consisted of a scrapbook of newspaper articles, a letter from Eleanor Roosevelt, and issues of the Puget Sounder. At that time, Galen Biery also included a copy of a tape recording of June and Farrar that he had made some years before. The bulk of the materials in the papers, which include correspondence, journals, writings, and photographs were donated by June and Farrar's granddaughter, Skye Burn, in 2003 with an additional donation made in 2005.

Burn, June, <emph render="italic">Living High: An Unconventional Autobiography</emph>, Duell, Sloan and Pearce 1941; 1992. Burn, June, <emph render="italic">100 Days in the San Juans,</emph> 1946.

A complete printing of "The Puget Sounder" is available from the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies newspaper collection.

Burn, Bob (South)--b. 1924. Burn, Farrar--1888-1975. Burn, June, 1893-1969. Burn, North. Bellingham (Wash.)--History--Sources. Saint Lawrence Island (Alaska)--Social life and customs--History--Sources. Sentinel Island--San Juan Islands--Washington (State)--Description and travel--History--Sources. Waldron Island (Wash.)--History--Sources. Agricultural conservation--United States--History--Sources. Eskimos--Alaska--Saint Lawrence Island--History--Sources. Folk music--United States--History--Sources. Frontier and pioneer life--Washington (State)--San Juan Islands--History--Sources. Herbs--Therapeutic use--History--Sources. Natural history--Washington (State)--Puget Sound region--History--Sources. Organic farming--United States--History--Sources. Soils--Environmental aspects--History--Sources. Women journalists--Bellingham (Wash.)--History--Sources. Agriculture Alaska Diaries Home and Family Literature Overland Journeys to the Northwestern United States Photographs Washington (State) Women Personal Papers Series I circa 1902-1992 Sub-series 1 June Burn 1914-1968 Legal/Financial Information Agreement regarding “One Hundred Organic Farms and How They Operate” by June Burn 1/1 1955 April Copyright, Legal Agreement, and Extra Book Covers for Living High 1/2 1957-1958 Wishes Regarding Her Death 1/3 1965 July 12 Correspondence Incoming Addresses 1/4 Undated 1952 Bob Burn 1/5 Undated 1943-1949 1961 Farrar Burn 1/6 Undated 1920-1967 North Burn 1/7 Undated 1946-1966 Kathryn Fulkerson 1/8 1925 Phil Lovering 1/9 Undated Raymond and Motier (June's sister) 1/10 Undated W.E. Woodward 1/11 1927-1937 Eleanor Roosevelt and White House 1/12 1941 1943 General 1/13 Undated General 1/14 1920-1947 General 1/15 1950-1960 General 1/16 1960-1968 Outgoing Bob Burn 2/1 Undated 1945-1965 North Burn 2/2 Undated 1945-1962 Katheryn Fulkerson 2/3 Undated 1924-1939 Katheryn Fulkerson 2/4 1940-1966 Katherine Fulkerson and Marion Lapp 2/5 Undated 1924-1926 Marion Lapp 2/6 Undated Phil Lovering 2/7 Undated 1929-1941 Motier (June's sister) 2/8 Undated 1966 W.E. Woodword 2/9 Undated 1935 General 2/10 1920-1966 General 2/11 Undated General 2/12 Undated General 2/13 Undated Writings and Notes Titled Writings A-Z circa 1920s-1960s A-E 3/1 F 3/2 G 3/3 H 3/4 I-J 3/5 K-M 3/6 N-O 3/7 P 3/8 R 3/9 S 3/10 T-U 3/11 W 3/12 Y 3/13 Untitled Writings Untitled Writings 4/1-4/2 Undated Fragments of Writings and Notes 4/3-4/10 Undated Columns “Puget Soundings” – from The Bellingham Herald 1 1930-1933 Scrapbook of “100 Days in the San Juans” (original publications from the Seattle Post Intelligencer)with correspondence 3 1946 “Side Roads” 5/1 1950 Features, published and unpublished 5/2 1950-1951 Books Living High: An Unconventional Autobiography (autographed copy) 1 1941 Poetry Poetry 5/3 circa 1930s-1960s Radio Transcripts Bornstein Seafood 5/4 1949 August 6-1949 October 6 Bornstein Seafood 5/5 1949 October 11-1950 January 31 “Joe Needham on an Island Farm” or “Tater Patch Holler” 5/6 circa 1940s-1950s Untitled and “Democracy and the Soil” 5/7 circa 1940s-1950s Research Dr. Bates Eye Dr. Bates Eye Essays 5/8 Undated 1961 Dr. Bates Eye Lectures 6/1-6/2 circa 1950s Donkey Trip (Mule Trip) 6/3 1951 Herb Royal Pamphlets 6/4 1957 Nutrition General Nutrition Notes 6/5 circa 1940s-1950s Nutrition Articles 6/6 Undated 1948-1955 June Burn Health Studio Materials 6/7 1955-1956 100 Days in the San Juans Biographical Information of Island Residents 6/8 1946 Correspondence-Outgoing 6/9 1946 April-1946 June Correspondence-Incoming 6/10 1946 January-1946 July Correspondence-Incoming 6/11 1946 August-1946 December Information Regarding Locations and People Visited During the Trip 6/12 1946 Maps and Charts 6/13 1946 Notes on History of the Islands 6/14 1946 Proposed layout of book: “The San Juan Islands of Puget Sound: A Guide Book, Text Book, Souvenir, and Rhapsody” 7/1 circa 1940s “San Juan Postscripts, Waldron Island, and Two Stories We Missed” 7/2 circa 1940s Organic Farms circa 1950s Organic Farms 7/3 circa 1950s Organic Farms in England, Crown Scrapbook (contains photographs) 7/4-7/5 1957 Soil Dr. Albrecht’s Soil Lectures 7/6 1951 Dr. Albrecht’s, “Our Soils and Ourselves” (as translated by June Burn) 7/7 1951 Dr. Albrecht’s Essays 7/8 1954 Soil/Fertilizer Articles 7/9 1947-1961 Education College Transcripts 7/10 1914-1951 Bureau of Education Alaska School Service Assistant Teaching Appointment 7/11 1920 Teaching Evaluations-Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College 7/12 1937 Corbett-Bates Teaching Association 7/13 1945-1955 Program from University of Washington’s “The Pacific Northwest Writer’s Conference 7/14 1945 August 6-10 School of the Living, The Interpreter and The Green Revolution Articles 7/15 1951-1965 Journals/Diaries Journals Journal 8/1 Undated Journal 8/2 Undated Alaska Journal Entries 8/3 Undated 1921 Journal Entries 8/4 Undated 1941 1962 Journal 8/5 1938 Journal 8/6 1946 Journal 8/7 1946 Journal 8/8 1950 Journal 8/9 1954 1955 1958 "A Transcription of Handwritten Journal, 1954-1959, written by Pacific Northwest author, June Burn" by Harriet Thompson 1 2006 Journal 9/1 1956 Journal 9/2 1957 Journal 9/3 1958 Journal 9/4 1958 Journal 9/5 1959 Journal 9/6 1959 1960 Journal 9/7 1959 1960 Journal 9/8 1962 Diaries Dream Diary 9/9 1945 Sub-Series 2 Farrar Burn 1902-1972 Biographical Information Social Security card 10/1 1902 1954 Career information – Naval service, civil service commission, Alkaline Salt Workers Union card 10/2 1920-1923 1951 “The Heritage,” Official Publication of the Crawford County Historical Society, with biography of Farrar Burn, Distinguished Citizen 10/3 1972 July Correspondence Incoming Bob (South) Burn 10/4 Undated 1941-1947 June Burn 10/5 1962 May-1962 June June Burn 10/6 1962 July-1962 September June Burn 10/7 Undated General 10/8 Undated 1920-1967 Outgoing Katheryn A. Fulkerson 10/9 1925-1962 Katheryn A. Fulkerson 10/10 1963-1964 Phil Lovering 11/1 1929-1936 General 11/2 1920-1963 Writings Poetry 11/3 Undated Songs Published "I Wanta Yes-Yes Baby!," "Come Back to Me" 11/4 1927 "Cascade Range: Out Where the Swift Rivers Flow" 11/5 1928 Unpublished Unnamed Song 11/6 Undated Unpublished Drafts “A Christmas Barrel” 11/7 1952 “The Patient is Never Told" 11/8 Undated “Rhyming Around the United States” 11/9 1960 “A Visit to the Reindeer Camps” 11/10 Undated Radio Broadcasts 11/11 Undated Notes and Drawings 11/12 Undated 1920-1921 Education Bureau of Education Alaska School Service Teaching Appointment 11/13 1920 Daily Planners Daily Planner 11/14 1950-1951 Daily Planner 11/15 1959 Artifacts and Audio-Visual Materials

AV materials include three LP recordings, which may have been sent to North Burn while recovering from polio in the Philippines after WW2.

Slide Whistle 12 circa 1928 Sound Recordings Audio cassette recording of June interviewing Farrar 12 1949 Songs of Farrar Burn, 33⅓ rpm, Microgroove 13 undated No. 1 Philco Tab Edge Carbon Paper – “Bub” Burns 13 undated Bub Baxter Burns Five Minute Audition 13 1949 May 4 Sub-series 3 Burn Family Papers 1921-1992 Biographical Information Bob (South) Burn Certificate of Birth 14/1 1924 May 20 Legal/ Financial Information Property Agreements (Including Sentinel Island) 14/2 1928-1959 Correspondence Incoming Farrar and June Burn 14/3 Undated 1921-1940 Farrar and June Burn 14/4 1941-1960 Farrar and June Burn 14/5 1961-1968 North Burn 14/6 Undated Bob (South) Burn 14/7 Undated 1978-1985 General 14/8 Undated 1926-1992 Outgoing Farrar and June Burn 14/9 Undated 1920 1958-1959 North Burn 14/10 1939 1940 1950 Bob (South) Burn 14/11 Undated 1942-1991 Writings The Puget Sounder (June and Farrar Burn Joint Newspaper Project) 1 1935 May-1939 March Barbara Burn, “International Exchange-Pitfalls and Pleasures” 14/12 Undated Bob (South) Burn, “Autobiography” 14/13 Undated Journals Journal (June and Farrar) 14/14 1956 Visual Materials Original watercolor entitled, “English Camp, San Juan Is.” 14/15 undated Alfred Taiée Print 14/16 undated Clippings Newspaper Clippings 14/17 1926-1992 Newspaper Clippings 14/18 Undated Series II Photographs Series II circa 1888-1975

Scrapbook of Early Life contains photographs mounted on numbered pages with June Burn’s typewritten narration included on each page.

Prints Arkansas House 15/1 1967 Cabin-in-the-woods, Washington DC 15/2 circa 1923 Covered Wagon Trip (Mule Trip) 15/3 1954 Donkey Trip 15/4 circa 1923 Farrar’s Family 15/5 circa 1880s-1940s Florida 15/6 circa 1965 Forks, Washington 15/7 1955 Gravestones (Van Buren, Arkansas) 15/8 1970 circa 1975 Health Food Store, Bedford St., New York City 15/9 1955 June Acres 15/10 circa 1930's June’s Family 15/11 1914-1954 June and Farrar with Family 15/12 1954-1966 Minstrel Trip 15/13 circa 1928 North and Bob (South) 15/14 circa 1922 Portraits of Farrar Burn 15/15 circa 1910s 1943-1973 Portraits of June Burn 16/1 1907-1959 Portraits of June 2 circa 1920s Portraits of June and Bob 2 circa 1920s Portraits of June and Farrar 16/2 circa 1930s-1960s Portraits of the Burn Family 2 circa 1920s San Juanderer Trip-From 100 Days in the San Juans 16/3 1946 Sentinel Island 16/4 circa 1920s Trip to St. Lawrence Island, Alaska 16/5 1921 Trona, California 16/6 1952 Waldron Camp 16/7 1954 Waldron Island-Early 16/8 circa 1930s-1940s Waldron Island 16/9 circa 1954-1960s Waldron Island 16/10 circa 1954-1960s Waldron Study Cabin 16/11 circa 1950s-1960s Negatives Marianna, Florida 16/12 circa 1950s-1960s Waldron Island 16/13 circa 1950s-1960s Scrapbook Scrapbook of Early Life 16/14 circa 1920s-1940s