Submitted by the Lopez Museum.

Lopez has always been a place of abundance. Since time immemorial, these lands and waters have been stewarded by Straits Salish peoples. As beneficiaries of homestead policies, settlers continued to work the land and sea for sustenance and trade, serving guests and locals from their kitchen tables and trades-camp stoves. As the settler industries of fishing, canning, timber and export farming dwindled in the early 20th century, so did the population.

People often say that Lopez is a decade or two behind the times; a consequence of living on an island. The first standalone restaurant on Lopez opened in 1946, 80 years after the first white settlers arrived. Over the next half-century, a new kind of economy came to dominate: tourism. Island families parceled and sold their acreage to second homers, camp counselors, back-to-the-landers and retirees seeking a slice of paradise.

“Making Hay While the Sun Shines: 50 years of Restaurants, 1950-2000,” charts the demographic and development shifts on Lopez through the lens of the island’s restaurants. From multi-decade institutions such as The Islander and The Galley, to short-lived experiments, restaurants have weathered the difficulty of running two businesses at a time: one in summer, one in winter … for the price of one.

The story of restaurants on Lopez is a story of development, gentrification, housing, resilience, celebration and community. Come learn more at the Lopez Museum, open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., now through October 26, 2025, located at 28 Washburn Place, Lopez Island, WA. For more information, visit lopezmuseum.org or call 360-468-2049.