HOMES OF THE TREASURE COAST
only time the fire department was called to Lost River.
Myron “Mac” Varn was a community leader and secondgeneration
44
citrus man who bought the property from his father
for $1. “It was a great privilege that Mac’s father gave us
this land,” Varn says. “My husband cleared this land himself
by hand. Before that, you couldn’t walk 10 feet.”
Since her husband died in 2003, Varn has continued to
maintain the property, keeping overgrowth at bay. Legendary
cattleman Bud Adams has confirmed that as a young boy he
kept his first cow on the island.
“This area was the wild, wild west of St. Lucie County,”
Varn says. “We found the barbed wire fencing and Bud remembered
it well. This was way before the (Army) Corps (of
Engineers) cut the river in front of the house and changed the
dynamics of water flow forever. Thus, we have the Lost River.”
PERFECT FOR DUCK DADDY, TOO
It was the ideal location for Duck Daddy to set up operations.
Mac Varn used the pantry as an incubation room to
raise ducks, Canada geese and turkeys. “It was a funny,
strange and beautiful relationship,” Varn says. “They must
have come out of the egg saying, ‘Are you my mother?’ Each
hatchling bonded with Mac upon first glance. Every morning
he would walk to the bridge for his newspaper, wearing
his Gator briefs, carrying his coffee and leading the flock of
goslings all the way down the driveway and back. The dogs
followed along just like it was normal.
“If anyone found a turkey nest without a mama, they knew
to call Mac, who would come and get the eggs, incubate them
and raise them up. Then they would be turned out to live on
the property,” she says. >> Varn and Felix enjoy a quiet moment on the deck.