The Past
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Geography
~ Enderby Cliffs
~ Floods
~ Geology of North
Okanagan
~ Naming of Enderby
~ Shuswap River
~ ~ Ice cutting
~ ~ Kingfisher
Hatchery
~ ~ River
drives
~ ~ Transportation
Heritage Homes
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Transportation
Ice cutting
was an essential winter activity in Enderby, in the early 1900's. Ice cutting became a
community event that sparked many new friendships and proved to have many uses.
The ice was cut just after New Years Day when the days became cold, crisp, and clear. For
the removal of the ice the men of the community would bring their horses, sleighs and all
their muscle power. The snow was scraped off the ice with shovels on homemade scraping
rigs pulled by horses. The ice was cut into 20 pound squares using axes and huge crosscut
saws. Iron hooks were used to remove the ice from the water; the blocks were then dragged
onto planks pulled by horses to the icehouse.
The ice was stored in the community ice house, which was wooden and usually partially
underground. The earlier shacks were very disadvantageous as they were poorly drained and
uninsulated. Preservation of meats and dairy product became more difficult. It was
suggested that drainage would be improved by placing a bed of gravel on a floor of timbers
to keep the ice away from the melt-water. Later on, straw was used to cover the ice and,
eventually, the use of sawdust on top of and in between the ice became common. After a
time these insulated ice houses became known as refrigerators.
Slowing down the deterioration of food was the main reason for the cutting and storing of
ice. Meats, dairy products and even medical supplies were just some of the items stored in
these shacks.
The end of the era of ice cutting came with the invention of the electric compressor, capable of producing below freezing temperatures. Between the years 1950 and 1960 the ice houses declined in use and eventually were torn down.
Erika Whitehead
AlF School 1989