Hey, Barb,
Know what I just watched on the telly? A Food Channel program on ice cream and such that ended with a piece on the St. Paul Ice Whoop-ti-do, from cutting the blocks on the Whatever River to the aurora borealis bit with the lights. Fantastic!
But what got me was the number of Minnie Soda guys who are willing to get out there on that frozen river and cut the damned blocks. You lose many of those guys?
Felice
Oops. Meant this for the cooking group. Sometimes I don't know whether my friends cook or stitch.
Darn, Felice - it sounded really fascinating!
Pat P
Agreed!
Cheryl
Sent in error to rctn ...
but Pat P and Cheryl were intrigued, so ...
If you have a chance, Cheryl (sorry, Pat, it's a US program) watch the Food Network's "Unwrapped" show on ice creams etc. The end piece on the St. Paul Ice Carnival is fascinating. It starts with guys out on a lake covered in three feet of ice, cutting chunks, and proceeds through the construction of an incredibly beautiful ice palace in downtown StP that is flooded with colored lights at night. Absolutely amazing, especially to someone who can't imagine her neighborhood pond with three feet of ice.
Felice
Before electric refrigerators came into being, the lakes around here were used for cutting ice.
Ice houses were dotted around the lakes, huge blocks were cut by hand saw and put in the houses with layers of sawdust between them. With care they lasted until the next freeze and were delivered by horse and cart to the houses in the neighbourhood.
The industry died fast when 'fridges came on the scene.
Some of the old stately homes in England had ice houses in the grounds - they still exist, but not for that use any more. i believe that ice was imported for them by ship and cart. Amazing how it arrived still frozen!
Pat P
My grandmother had an icebox till after the war. Blocks of ice were delivered by truck and men dragged them up 3 flights of stairs a few times a week. She also had a windowbox that she used in the wintertime when it was cold enough outside.
Some of my fondest memories are of her getting up in the middle of the night shrieking at the top of her lungs, I forgot to empty the pail under the icebox.
Lucille
Lucille
Quite likely it came from here or Newfoundland. 'Fridges put a lot of manual labourers out of work. Cut in big enough blocks, it thaws very slowly and I believe the sawdust retards the unfreezing as well.
Nope - and we don't lose many of the thousands of guys who go ice fishing all winter long - little cities of fish houses on the frozen lakes...
Now, snowmobilers - we lose several of them each winter.
Mary
Felice Friese wrote:
We had a Ice boxas well, the ice factory , would sell 1/2 or 1/3 of an ice block , we would carry it home on the carrier of the bicycle, covered in a Jutah sack ... In Big towns the Ice [blocks] man would go with a little cart with Horse or donkey and ring a bell.... mirjam
Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.
Ask the community — no account required