The Rise And Decline Of The Olympia Oyster 



done by hand labor, loading on log floats or scows from 

 the shore, polled out and dumped at high tide. Finally it 

 was leveled up, the dike closed and oysters planted. Les 

 produced a fine oyster as long as he lived and his step- 

 sons, Herbert, Hum.phrey and Arthur, have cultivated 

 oysters there to this day. 



The J. J. Brenner Oyster Co. also owned and develop- 

 ed oyster land in that bay, and still operates them. 



IN NORTH BAY. 



North Bay was not extensively developed in the early 

 days, and a large part of it was set aside by the State as 

 an oyster reserve. Those who did try to develop it had 

 great difficulties, and the quantity of oysters shipped 

 from there was relatively small. 



The streams flowing into this Bay are small, but in 

 the rainy season they overflow. They wash silt and sand 

 down over the beds v/hich covered the oysters. 



Finally Humphrey Nelson, of Little Skookum Bay, 

 largely solved this problem by constructing an artificial 

 current system which flushes silt out of the dikes. He 

 also successfully used lath, covered with a thin coating of 

 cement, and suspended above the bottom. Olympia Oys- 

 ter seed set on this and in a short time the lath disinte- 

 grated and the oysters dropped onto the ground. He grew 

 some good oysters where others had failed. 



IN SOUTH BAY. 

 South Bay had but a small area where Olympia 

 Oysters thrived. That part was developed. Harry Allen 

 owned and operated the beds for some years, then sold 

 to Everett (Pete) Maynard. Pete has a few Olympia Oys- 

 ters at this time. 



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