The Rise And Decline Of The Olympia Oyster 



the oysters were carried and delivered in their Indian 

 baskets. 



The white settlers were not satisfied with that; soon 

 after they acquired title they began to find and develop 

 a market — in Olympia, Captain Doane opened and oper- 

 ated "Doane's Oyster House." 



The white settlers finding that picking the oysters 

 from the beds when the tide was out was too slow and 

 inefficientjConceived the idea of what was known as a top 

 float. They took two cedar logs of equal size (about 30 feet 

 long) used cedar cross pieces to hold the logs about six 

 feet apart, then covered them with heavy rough lumber. 

 This provided a floating platform which could be mov- 

 ed when the tide was in, by use of long poles (push poles 

 as they were called). They would, at low tide, mark with 

 poles, tall slender fir trees about 18 or 20 feet in length 

 thrust into the tide flat where the oysters were abundant, 

 and take the top float to these markers on high tide. The 

 top float could be held in place by poles pushed into the 

 tide flat, at two opposite corners of the float. At low tide 

 oysters could then be thrown onto the top float, the large 

 (or marketable oysters) culled out when the tide was in 

 and the small oysters again scattered out on the beds for 

 further growth. The marketable oysters were then put in 

 baskets or other containers and taken to market. Thus 

 the first step was taken toward oyster culture. 



Culling oysters on the top float in the rain and blus- 

 tery winter weather Vv^hen the demand for oysters was 

 at a peak, was most difficult and objectionable and the 

 need for another development soon found it's answer. 



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