The Rise And Decline Of The Ol^mpia Oyster 



17 



Other Oystermen I Have Known 



AS HAS BEEN STATED, OYSTER BAY HAS BEEN 

 from the beginning, the heart of the Olympia Oyster in- 

 dustry. 



The Indians recognized that fact. Oysters abounded 

 here in their native state. The tide flats were rather 

 level, were well protected from the storms, and the 

 oysters were easy to get. Therefore most of the natural 

 beds had been occupied and claimed by Indians at the 

 time of the passage of the Callow Act by the first State 

 legislature. This qualified them as the purchasers of the 

 Oyster land they were occupying. 



Appearing there, we find their names, or the English 

 names they had adopted on the original Plats of Oyster 

 land in the office of the State Land Commissioner. Olym- 



(101) 



