The Rise And Decline Of The Olympia Oyster 



surveyed the land so occupied and a map therof prepared 

 and filed with the application. To encourage the industry 

 a very low price was fixed upon the oyster land, but the 

 State deed provided a reversionary right by the State 

 of Washington to take the land back in case it was used 

 for any purpose other than the cultivation of oysters. 



THE FIRST OYSTER LAND OWNERS. 



The maps showing these oyster lands and filed with 

 the State Land Commissioner had the names of the allot- 

 tees written upon them and those maps are still on file in 

 that office. Thereafter, on March 2, 1895, the State Legis- 

 lature passed another law known as the "Bush Act." 

 This law gave any citizen the right to file on oyster land, 

 whether he had previously cultivated oysters on it or not. 

 However, it assured the use of the land for oyster culture 

 by providing in the deed that if the land was used for 

 any other purpose than the cultivation of oysters, upon 

 application of any citizen, after a hearing, the deed could 

 be cancelled and resold. Further, if the land, or any part 

 thereof was found to be unfit for cultivation of oysters 

 the purchaser might have it cancelled and take other 

 land. 



And so it happens that these m.aps disclose the names 

 of those applicants, many of whom were Indians. The 

 Indians filed upon the land which they were occupying 

 and this land in many instances was the choicest oyster 

 land to be found. Some of the names of these original 

 applicants and purchasers of oyster land were: Olympia 

 Jim., Mary Olympia Jim, William Krise, James Tobin, 

 Sandy Wohaut, Dick Jackson, Joe Gale, Jim Simmons, 



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