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Denise J. Smith lives in Rapid City, S.D., where she is a freelance writer.
New Museum Celebrates Ice Harvests of Yesteryear
By Denise J. Smith
The long-forgotten natural ice era came back to life recently with the opening of the Old-Ice House Museum in Rapid City, S.D. A museum that honors the art of making ice the old-fashioned way, it is one of just a handful of ice museums in the U.S.
Horse-drawn markers and ice plows are set in a life-size diorama of a lake surface backed by a mural depicting an ice harvest in progress. A collection of handtools - saws, tongs, hooks and even cleated horseshoes - is also on display. Visitors get a clear idea of the back-breaking labor required by the turn-of-the-century harvest operations. Technology has made a difference, Kim said.
"Ice hasn't gotten any lighter over the years," he said, "but it did get a little easier."
Also on display are large items such as a replica of an ice delivery wagon, and a 1928 Ford Model AA ice truck. The collection is rounded out with a variety of antique iceboxes, refrigerators, toy ice trucks, signs, photos and other memorabilia.
The museum, which just opened this summer, has already generated considerable interest. Visitors have shared their recollections of long-ago ice harvests, and one caller donated a real ice wagon in need of only minor restoration. The wagon, which has been added to the museum's collection, will be featured in various Rapid City events this summer.
For more information: The Old Ice House Museum at Rapid Crystal Ice Company, 1703 East St. Patrick Street, Rapid City, SD, 57701; phone (605) 342-0305.FC