Before the invention of the electric refrigerator, preserving food was a challenge. Most homes on the frontier had a cold cellar, an underground space that stayed cold but not freezing. Cabbage, carrots, and other crops could be stored for months without spoiling.
By the 1840s, several companies began mass-producing iceboxes designed for home use. This was more convenient for families, and large iceboxes were also produced for restaurants. Ice was placed in a tray at the top of the box, and the cold air filtered down along walls lined with tin or zinc. Some iceboxes even had a spigot for easy draining when the ice melted.
The icebox greatly benefited families by reducing the number of grocery trips, allowing for safe storage of leftovers, and lowering food costs while enhancing meal quality.
However, the ice had to be replenished regularly. Ice was harvested from lakes during winter, where blocks were cut and transported by wagons to ice houses, packed in sawdust to last through the summer. It required tremendous effort to harvest enough ice to supply a community until the following winter.
On this date in 1916, a Dickinson company announced the launch of a significant project. The Dickinson Ice and Transfer Company would build a new factory to manufacture and store ice. The facility would include a storage room for over two hundred tons of ice and a cold storage room for perishable goods, kept cold using chemicals from the ice-manufacturing process. The company planned to use Dickinson’s well water, known for its purity, to ensure high-quality ice. The plant would be located near the railroad tracks for convenient shipping.
The icebox did not have a long lifespan. The first practical home refrigerator was introduced in 1927 by the Whirlpool Company. In the 1930s, only eight percent of American homes had a refrigerator, but by the 1940s, that number soared to 45 percent. The refrigerator became a necessity in American homes, rendering the icebox a thing of the past.
Dakota Datebook by Dr. Carole Butcher
Sources:
- Dickinson Press. “Artificial Ice Manufacturing Plant Planned.” Dickinson ND. 10/7/1916. Page 1.
- Mother Earth News. “Build a Basement Root Cellar.” https://www.motherearthnews.com/diy/build-a-basement-root-cellar-zmaz04djzsel/#:~:text=Traditionally%2C%20this%20cold%20room%20was%20an%20underground%20space,and%20the%20cellar%20stayed%20cold%20but%20not%20freezing. Accessed 9/18/2024.
- Martha Stewart. “A Brief History of the Refrigerator.” https://www.marthastewart.com/1537798/refrigerator-history-explained Accessed 9/18/2024.
