April20_2008

Botanical Glossary - Home - References Cited

Oysters and clams were naturally abundant at Crescent Beach and were a valuable source of food to both the First Nations Peoples and early settlers. In 1904 William Lambert obtained permission for Surrey to establish an oyster farm at Crescent Beach. It was called the Olympic Oyster Company - The indigenous supply of oysters was augmented with seed imported from the Atlantic Seaboard and Japan.

Photos - Looking east along the Nicomekl River's southern shore with an old breakwater and rusty steel artifact half buried in the mud. The makeshift dyke prevents the tidal mud from washing down into the oyster bed here at Elgin Heritage site.

The Crescent Oyster Company had their beds in Mud Bay, between the Serpentine and Nicomekl Rivers. Harvesting was usually done at night by the light of Coleman Lamps which could be seen for miles. Oysters were picked by hand at low tide and put on a scow which was towed on the following high tide to the plant. The plant employed about 30 workers during the busy season. The shucked oysters were taken across the bay to B.C. Packer's dock where they were transported on ice to Vancouver to be sold fresh or canned.

The oysters of Crescent Beach were featured on restaurant menus from Vancouver to Seattle. In 1961, B.C. Packer's bought the Crescent Oyster Company. Unfortunately, the that time the waters of the Serpentine and Nicomekl Rivers were too polluted to sustain a healthy fishery and the Department of Fisheries banned the commercial harvesting of oysters. B.C. Packer's sold the 52 acres of property to the municipality which classified the land as recreational.

Photos - L-R - Looking west along the south shore of Nicomekl River.

The boathouse and dock of Ward's Marina situated on the Nicomekl River near its mouth at Mud Bay and a stones throw from the historic Stewart Farm.

A bed of oysters poking up through the mud along the Nicomekl River. Although the oysters look enticing, they are polluted and not fit for eating.

Photos - The boathouse and main floating dock at Ward's Marina on the Nicomekl River.

Click here for more photos of Ward's Marina for this day.