HI 440 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Oyster Stew, Typhoid Fever, Hydraulic Mining
Rise and Decline of Organic City: A Case Study of San Francisco
Human waste and the organic material in cities went through mollusks. This lecture covers how
the oyster industry rose and declined in Oakland (in the San Francisco Bay), and why this part of
history is forgotten. Why did it disappear? Was it pollution or were there more complex factors?
Oyster Industry
● The rise of this industry coincides with the rise of the urban oyster; they are a cheap
locally produced protein that can feed both sides of the Atlantic Ocean
○ San Francisco Bay was driven by imported oysters and they provided the basic
daily food of workers
○ Imported oysters were placed on trains and shipped across the country → they
were not a natural fishery in San Francisco
● Oysters improved the lives of workers and poorer people in the city, but it was not natural
(like Central Park in NYC)
San Francisco Bay
● Oysters became the staple food for inexpensive protein
● Americans came here for the gold rush, and oysters were the most similar and available
food source for those that came from the East coast
● Hydraulic mining is used in the bay
○ The bay is purged because freshwater overtakes the salt water due to this new
kind of mining
● By 1862, new species were present in the bay due to the freshwater, like the new oyster
● Property lines were established by oyster companies
○ Morgan Bay had the most oyster holdings
Oyster Trade
● Atlantic oysters from the east and transported to the west were brought there for an
economic gain; the oysters would increase in size if brought there
○ The reason there was a demand was because they were the “Big Mac” of the 19th
century
○ The urban working poor needed to eat cheaply, so they made oyster stew with
crackers or bread
● The advantage of oysters is that they are the perfect food as they are full of vitamins and
are mostly protein
○ Oysters are food that last and sustain
Decline of Oysters
● Typhoid fever was found to be linked to raw oysters, but if oysters were cooked, there
would be no issue with this disease
○ The media took up the lesson that oysters were dangerous no matter what →
they were the reason for mass disease and death
● By the 1900’s, oysters were seen as part of the past because of their association with the
urban environment
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Rise and decline of organic city: a case study of san francisco. Human waste and the organic material in cities went through mollusks. This lecture covers how the oyster industry rose and declined in oakland (in the san francisco bay), and why this part of history is forgotten. The rise of this industry coincides with the rise of the urban oyster; they are a cheap locally produced protein that can feed both sides of the atlantic ocean. San francisco bay was driven by imported oysters and they provided the basic daily food of workers. Imported oysters were placed on trains and shipped across the country they were not a natural fishery in san francisco. Oysters improved the lives of workers and poorer people in the city, but it was not natural (like central park in nyc) Oysters became the staple food for inexpensive protein.