The Rise And Decline Of The Olympia Oyster 



sun, with a return trip ticket but no money in my pocket. 

 I was entirely undecided as to where I should put out my 

 shingle. The return trip ticket was never used. 



A few days after my first introduction to the Olympia 

 Oyster, a friend whom I had met invited me to join a 

 small yachting party. Through some quirk of fate we 

 came into Oyster Bay and pulled up alongside an 

 oyster float. Lying on the float in the sun was an Indian 

 girl. It later developed that she was the daughter of Dick 

 Jackson, an Indian who had taken up oyster beds and 

 lived there. His oyster land was adjoining other oyster 

 beds of Sandy and Ti]sa Wohaut, famous old Indian 

 characters, which land I afterward bought. At this mo- 

 ment I am sitting at the window of the cottage where I 

 have lived during many summers and reared my family. 

 I am also watching our bed manager as he sets his scow 

 to move seed oysters. Pictures of these oyster beds with 

 dikes, both of creosote lumber and cement construction, 

 and of the culling house and floats, were published in 

 Document No. 1086 by the Department of Commerce, 

 Bureau of Fisheries in 1929, on pages 379 to 383. 



To return to our visit with the Jackson girl. Alongside 

 the top float Vv^here she was sunning was a sink float 

 with a quantity of Olympia Oysters. We purchased some 

 from her, took them back to Olympia, and enjoyed an- 

 other feast of Olympia Oysters. As a result of these 

 experiences I decided to locate in Olympia, and in due 

 time had hung out my shingle and established a law 

 practice. 



My interest seemed to center around the Olympia 

 Oj^ster and it's history; from the start I gained informa- 



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