November 20, 2017
This is “Our Past Is Present” from
the Geary County Historical Society.
One
of the most popular delicacies enjoyed by Kansans in the 1890s was
oysters. In Junction City during this
era, oyster suppers were frequent offerings at every kind of social gathering
from debutante balls to church bazaars.
How these so called “fruits of the sea” reached land locked Kansas in a
state fit for consumption was somewhat of a mystery. However, the “Junction City Union” newspaper
had an article about just that in November of 1909. The author stated that “the people of Kansas
were expected to consume 180,000 gallons of oysters that winter. The estimate had been made by companies who
had made shipments here in previous years.”
The article further stated “If the estimate is correct, an order issued
two years ago by the State Board of Health that prohibited the adding of water
to oysters and shipment into the state in ice means a saving of $54,000 to the
people of Kansas in one year.
In previous years the common way of
shipping oysters was to pack a big bucket two-thirds full of oysters and then
fill the tub with ice. The ice melted
and then the oysters and the water were sold at from 40 to 60 cents a
quart. The Board of Health and Dr.
Crumbine stated that this was a pretty high price for the people of Kansas to
pay for water. So an order was issued prohibiting oysters to be shipped with
ice in the same tub. The ice must be packed around the tubs containing the
oysters and the oysters themselves were not to be touched by ice.
Oysters on the half shell, in
dressing or as a stew are popular at this time of year. If you love oysters – enjoy!!!
That’s today’s story on “Our Past Is
Present” from the Geary County Historical Society.
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