[ebooks] Silverado Canyon (Images of America) by Susan Deering in Arts-Photography

Description

Chesapeake is an Algonquian word meaning �great shellfish bay;� and for decades; the oyster was the undisputed king of Chesapeake Bay shellfish. Early settlers reported them to be as large as dinner plates; and the reefs or rocks in which they livedwere large enough to be hazards to navigation. In 1884; fifteen million bushels of oysters were harvested and shipped around the world. The skipjack was the perfect vessel for sailing into the Chesapeake Bay�s shallow waters and dredging for oysters; and each winter; hundreds of these wooden craft set out across the bay�s cold waters. The oyster population of the 21st century is a fraction of what it once was; and the skipjacks have disappeared along with them. No longer economically viable; the boats have been left to rot in the marshes along the bay. Only 25 boats are still operational; and fewer than five still dredge.