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| The ice harvest took place during the winter months to provide ice for people during the summer months. Ice was not needed during the winter, so it was stored in the icehouse until it was needed in the summer. During the early years of ice harvesting, most of the ice was delivered directly to the customer's house by horse-drawn wagons specially designed for hauling ice. Some wagons were built to be driven by one horse, others by two, and still others by four. By the 1920s, these horse-drawn wagons had become obsolete due to the introduction of the automobile, most notably the truck. |
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| Many deliverymen preferred using horse-drawn wagons to the trucks for the simple fact
that the horses knew the routes, which made things much easier for the deliverymen.
Despite the crucial role of the horses, they did not do all the work. There were often
times when the deliveryman had to carry 25 or 30 pound blocks of ice to third floor
apartments. Special bags and back pads were used to make carrying the blocks easier on the
deliverymen. Ice was not only delivered to residences, but also to meat markets,
restaurants, and soda fountains. Everyone was in need of ice; therefore, the ice industry
became extremely important to the city's economy. On delivery days, many housewives would display a card in their kitchen windows. These cards had a number on them denoting how many pounds of ice they wanted. If they needed 25 pounds of ice, they would display the card with "25" on it. If 50 pounds of ice was needed, then the card with "50" on it would be displayed. This system made things much easier for both the deliverymen and the housewives purchasing the ice. |
