History Commons^™

“Long Cold Days”: The Natural Ice Industry, 1880 To 1940, Andrew Olson

Research in the Capitol

On January 30, 1908, ice harvester Frank Osgood, who was hard at work on the Cedar River during a viciously cold day taking ice blocks cut from the river then up the elevator to the ice house, “froze his eye lids.” Common tasks in the natural ice industry required workers to be out in the coldest winter conditions to produce blocks of frozen water for sale to those who kept food fresh year-round. Hard physical labor permeates the natural ice industry’s fascinating history and is often overlooked, but the story of Osgood and those like him offers insight into the …