Looking for a quiet, adventurous and enjoyable place to relax for a few hours? There is a special open house coming up from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21.

The Valley blossoms with glimpses of the past and appreciation of the present and anticipation of the future. One of the glimpses of the past, nestled away in Fall City, is known as Baxter Barn. This barn and farm has a long history in the Valley and plays a part in the present community with the many activities and animal life and historic preservation.

This farm began in 1875 and has had two owners – in the last 150 years. That gives you a glimpse of how special it is as time flies there. Their mission as stated on their website is “to demonstrate sustainability and conservation on a historical farm where domesticated plants and animals are as important as native plants and wildlife.”

This farm was originally owned by Eber Herman and his wife Sarah Robinson Baxter, who arrived in a covered wagon. At the time, there were only about 12 families in Fall City. This was the place of the first blacksmith and it was farmed with oxen in 1875.

The original owners opened their home to newcomers while they built their own log cabins. One such person who stayed for seven weeks was Lena Parker, who was the great-grandmother to one of the current owners. Lena (Missy) Huskinson (named after her great grandmother) along with her husband Cory are the current owners. Lena (Missy) worked as a mail carrier and this property was on her route. She always wanted to live on the property and to have her horses there too. The Huskinsons bought the property over a century later in 2007. The museum has many articles and artifacts that show all this history.

Baxter Barn today has much to see. They sell animal food, which is their own blend that is custom made and milled specifically for their store/customers. It has a higher nutrient value that is required for exotic and rare animals. It also contains natural dewormers, minerals, prebiotics and probiotics, inorganic trace minerals and all natural ingredients. There are horse supplements. Many horses that have medical issues begin to take these supplements and regain their health. The farm also grows many native plants.

I walked along the many areas to see so many interesting animals that were beautiful and fun to see. The wide variety of animals included:

Quail: snowflake, Tennessee reds, Coturnix button and Valley, Gamble

Goats: Nigerian dwarfs ( I recently learned that my great aunt was a goat farmer in the Mission District of San Francisco in about 1920 by looking at old family photos. It was amazing to see the San Francisco skyline so different and a goat jumping in the middle of the photo! So extra time looking at the goats…)

Chickens: They have a room with incubators to see the eggs hatching. That was really interesting to see. Plus I got to see the various colors of the eggs – olive green, chocolate and blue layer and learn the genetics to bred that color! (So much more interesting than the plain white eggs I get at the store…)

Pheasant: Lady Amherst, and silvers, which are the largest and the size of a small chicken.

Birds of so many types that were colorful and fascinating.

Rabbits: Lionhead, Flemish giant, hot tot, Holland lop

Geese: 4 types

Ducks: 7 types, Call (the smallest), Giant tufted, Toulouse

Donkeys: 5 females, 2 males. The babies were only a few weeks old… they were soft and ready to play in the arena.

Horses: Sebastian who is 19 years old and Gypsy and Cochise

I also learned some new words: “Pullet,” which is a female bird until she lays eggs, then she is called a hen, and “cockerel,” which is a fully mature rooster. You just don’t learn that when you grow up in a major metropolitan city. That is another reason why I love to get away to these special places to see rural life and learn more about farming.

In the museum you will see lots of farm artifacts, the original water line and a coffee grinder and photos of the farm and early life. One example is the bell, which was rung to announce the steamboats coming up the Snoqualmie River. I bet not everyone knows that the river use to be a place for steamboats rather than floaters and kayakers.

I asked about all the work on the farm. I was told there is always something going on and that was clear to see. The morning chores take two to three hours to feed and clean all the animals. And the afternoon is the time to collect eggs and feed the hay and food to the animals and clean up (a very inclusive topic). Doing all this would take me longer, as I would be so distracted watching what all the animals were doing and looking at all the artifacts and photos.

The barn was reconstructed in 1955 and moved from its original location across the street to where it is located today. Recently, the barn had some preservation completed that took over two and a half years. Just looking at the preservation work was fascinating. It is no wonder that it is on the Heritage Barn Register.

This farm has so many awards, just to name a few: Backyard Wildlife Sanctuary Award, Backyard Conservationist Award, Salmon Safe, Forest Stewardship Award, Family Forest Legacy Tree, Wildlife Steward of the Year, Nature Explore Classroom and more. So you can see that this is a place of caring, dedication and a role model of stewardship.

Owners Cory and Missy are active in so many community projects and willing to share their knowledge.

I was also intrigued to see the totem pole up close as it is in a new home. Whatever the history was for this pole, it is now standing ready to build new meanings and memories as you lead into the farm. The farm is a magical place of discovery and life and a place you may want to enjoy for an exciting, intriguing, amazing and peaceful afternoon. It is located at 31929 SE 44th Street in Fall City. It is where the future and the past meet!

You can see their website at www.baxterbarn.org for hours and tours and more. Don’t forget they are also planning an event for Sept. 21 that will be another adventure and opportunity to enjoy.

Kathy Lambert is a former member of the King County Council who represented the Snoqualmie Valley area.