Sehome Hill Arboretum: One Purpose? Definitely not.

Trees. Rocks. Plants. Bugs. Trails. Runners. Smokers. Secret spots. Those are just words. They’re apart of this story, the story that you’re going to be able to create. All of these things are all apart the unique story that I create. The 3 different types of trees, the million rocks that are all scattered around the arb, the invasive and noninvasive plants, the 4 different trails that all lead to somewhere different, or eventually lead back to where I originally started. The wonderful place that is called the Sehome Hill Arboretum contains all of those, words. The 180-acre land is full of trees, plants, trails, secret spots, and some cool places like the tower and the tunnel. Which is what makes up the place we call the arb.

Without the trees and plants, college freshman wouldn’t be able to go hide within the trees in their time of despair. “Smoking in the dorms would be too obvious, my friends and I go to the tower and light up over there. The view is great and it’s a nice place to hang out, and not really worry about anything. The walk up there is hard though, especially since I’m not in shape (lightly laughs).”- Sam. That’s the purpose of the Arb to the group of them. The boys were quite hesitant of answering my question but I told them names were not involved. I know all too well what it is like being a freshman and having nowhere to go out and enjoy some free time with friends. I too discovered the arb my freshman year when a couple of friends and I took a walk up there late at night. There is no one there and the atmosphere really changes things. It kind of distresses oneself because the probability of getting caught is very low. There are many different kinds of reasons why people like to make a visit through the arb.

When people makes trips through the arb, they can easily see that there are multiple trails. When it became an Arboretum in 1968, trails were established. The purpose of those trails were to help runners, walkers, or anything get through the park. I went for a walk through the Arb and I came across a couple of people the few times that I was there. They seemed confused about why I was asking them this, but they still gave me an answer. What the purpose of the arb to them?; “I like to run through it starting from BT all the way around so I can come back to BT,” says Jackie who was wearing cute Victoria’s Secret leggings, and sweat flowing down her face. “I love being outdoors, and running through here doesn’t feel like I’m on campus anymore.” Just like Jackie, many like to run through the trails because it makes them feel like they traveled to a different place.

Traveling to a different place is exactly what my friend Adam likes to do. “It helps me relax. I usually don’t have homework so I like to walk through the arb and look at the sky, sometimes just sit and clear my thoughts. It’s great honestly.” He says that even though the arb is scary at night, he prefers it more than when it is clear. He likes to lay on the gravel and look up at the sky on a clear night. He gazes at the stars and wonders what life would be like without them, or if we had been different. Sometimes he likes to just lay there and listen to music. Clearing his thoughts. The purpose of the arb to him is therapeutic.

They Arb is important because it allows for so many possibilities. It gives people a chance of getting outdoors for running, walking, smoking or simply just watching the dark sky on a lonely night. So, how could we approach this amazing, opportunity-filled hill? No one ever just saw the 180 acre of land and said, “Yup. I shall plant many trees, provide plants and build a tower with some trails.” It started back in 1850 when two people found coal in the park. COAL. Who just walks into a place and finds coal? Anyways, yeah. The Bellingham Bay Coal Company was founded (according to HisotryLink.org). There are many tunnels that are within the arboretum but their whereabouts are unknown. If you’re up for the challenge and want a nice fun adventure I suggest you might want to go try and find the tunnels. So back to my original question. What is the purpose of the Arb? There are many different answers to that. In the 1850’s it was used for coal. Its purpose: to provide people jobs and coal. It stayed like that for about 10 years. A town which in that time was about 20 families build their homes in what we now know is Sehome. After that, the coal was gone (I wonder why). The land officially became a park in 1922, and then an arboretum in 1968.

1850 was a long time ago, and much has changed in the 166 years since then. When Staeheli talks about context through time, my first thought is about the Hill. It was not the same as it was yesterday, and it won’t be the same tomorrow. Everything about it is different. Time changes things and dang, how fast time does change. The only thing that seems to be able to live past 100 years are the trees. The Douglas Fir trees stand 200 feet tall. When you’re walking through the arboretum and look up, they seem gigantic. And that’s because they are. Those trees have seen it all, from the coal trains in the 1850’s to now. But alas, everything must come to an end right? Wrong. The plants, trees, rocks, bugs, they have always been here. They have lived through most of Bellingham’s history. Some might be new and some might be old, but they are an important part of not just Sehome Hill but also its history. Without the trees, how would people know how long the land has really been here? Thanks to the trees, people can date Sehome Hill back to the 1850’s.

Sehome hill arboretum; a place of possibilities. A place where you can almost do anything you want. One purpose? Definitely not. You see, there is no sole purpose of the Sehome Hill Arboretum. Many people use it for many different purposes. Running, smoking, laughing…each individual has their own thoughts and their own idea on what the purpose of the hill is. They might cross paths; a runner and someone smoking a joint, they see each other but they don’t do anything about it. A simple nod when walking by each other simplifies that they acknowledged each other. Many might use it for the same purpose but they won’t have the same stories and I think that is what the purpose of the arb is; to help people make their own stories and memories.