The Pioneer Shell Company: Oyster Shell Harvesting Of The San Francisco Bay

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Fish, Oyster, Whale: The Archaeology of Maritime Traditions", at the 2023 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

For hundreds of years, people have used oyster shell to make cement and concrete, as a soil amendment, and as a dietary supplement for livestock. The shell has mostly been acquired as a byproduct of processing fresh oyster for food. However, in the late nineteenth century deposits of ancient, although not fossilized, oyster shell was discovered in San Francisco Bay. Several entrepreneurs began harvesting the shell to supply the local market. Facilities were built around the Bay to process the shell, among them the Pioneer Shell Company in Petaluma. This facility was documented in 2022 prior to a complete remodel for adaptive reuse of the building. During this project the question arose as to whether this unique San Francisco Bay pursuit was closer to fishing or mining? This paper explores the history of the industry, the technology employed, and how to classify this distinctive industry.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Fish, Oyster, Whale: The Archaeology of Maritime Traditions   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2023

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow