Ice harvesting 2

An earlier post described the early twentieth-century harvest, storage, and use of blocks of river and lake ice for refrigeration (here). The post ended with a series of questions about the Buller family’s practices with respect to ice harvesting. Thanks to Dad (Carl) and Daniel (I hope I am not missing anyone), we have answers to some of the questions.

1. Was the ice cut with a hand saw or with a horse-drawn saw? Did Grandpa have his own ice saw like the one pictured here? something else?

Grandpa had a saw like the one shown. This was not the same as a tree saw, since the teeth on an ice saw were set farther apart than a wood saw.

2. Did the family use tongs like the pair shown in the original post? something else?

In addition to the saw, Grandpa also had a pair of ice tongs that were used to grab the blocks of ice for easier moving. I am told that hay hooks (probably like that pictured to the right) were used to grab the ice blocks.

3. Where did the family store its harvested ice: in an above-ground icehouse? in a pit or silo? something else?

The ice pit was located north of the house (how far north I am not sure). If I understand correctly, the pit was about 8 feet deep and large enough to be covered by a roof (imagine a roof-shaped cover) roughly 12 feet square. Ground temperature at that depth in Nebraska is around 55 degrees, so straw was placed on top as insulation.

4. How long did the ice harvested in the winter last during the following spring and summer?

Memories on this are not absolutely certain, but it seems that the best estimate is that the ice lasted until sometime in July. I would guess that the family purchased ice from one of the commercial ice houses from then until they could next harvest ice, but I do not know that for certain.

5. Did the family have an icebox like that pictured in the first post? something else? Where in the house was the icebox kept? What food items were kept in the icebox?

The Buller family had an icebox very much like the one pictured in the earlier post. The ice blocks were housed in a bottom compartment, the food above. The primary food item kept in the icebox was milk, although fruits and vegetables were also stored depending on the season.

Grandpa and Grandma had several iceboxes in their Friend house that many of us remember. They were used as storage chests at that time. When the iceboxes were sold at auction, each one brought $40–50, presumably due to their antique value.

The earlier post ended with a bonus question on electricity coming to the farm, but the information gathered in response to that query deserves its own separate post.