In the 1920’s, the Rockpoint Oyster Company was started on Samish Bay by E. N. Steele and J. C. Barnes. During the Great Depression, the market for fresh oysters fell and so a shack was built on Washington State’s first scenic highway, Chuckanut Drive, where oysters were sold by the plant manager Zenzabaro Maekawa to the travelers that passed by. The little stand did so well that it was soon enclosed, a lunch counter was added and the Rockpoint Oyster Restaurant was born.
