Ice Man - Cocolalla, Idaho
by Bob Gunter
Anyone fortunate enough to be born before the days of modern refrigeration remembers the sound of the horse and wagon or truck nearing the house with its load of huge blocks of ice.
The iceman would take his ice pick and magically chip away until a smaller block would appear just the right size for the waiting icebox inside the house. If a child was good and stayed out of the way then the ice chips would be given to him/her to be wrapped in a piece of newspaper and sucked on with heavenly delight. The ice would then be picked up by tongs and carried to the back porch or kitchen. The transaction would end with, "That will be 10 cents, please," and everything in the old icebox would be safe until the next visit from the iceman.
On special days two blocks would be purchased and one would end up, with a liberal amount of course ice cream salt, in the hand turned ice cream freezer. After what seemed an eternity of turning the cream would be pronounced "ready" and the freezer would be wrapped with either bags or old newspapers to "set." It seemed hours before the top was removed to reveal to numerous young eyes the beauty of the contents.
The Iceman - Cocollala Idaho
Few people knew or cared where the large blocks of ice originated. There were many people from the east that ate fruit and berries that were refrigerated by the ice harvested from Cocolalla Lake about 15 miles from Sandpoint, Idaho. Passengers on the Northern Pacific Railroad were assured good ice water as they traveled from west to the east because of the ice of Cocolalla. There was a huge ice plant located on the south end of the lake and in the winter it employed a large number of men. There was a huge barn and two blacksmiths were kept busy putting spiked shoes on the horses used in the ice harvest.
The Sandpoint Daily Bulletin reported in 1922 just how big the operation was of the Cocolalla Ice Company; "One hundred and ten cars are being loaded daily, or 3,500 tons; while 2,500 tons are being daily shipped up the loading chains into the mammoth icehouse. The cars (railroad) are loaded 16 cars at a time..." for shipment to the railroad's ice stations that were located at Yakima, Ellensburg, Toppenish, Walla Walla, Pasco and Spokane, Washington.
Today there is nothing along the beautiful shore line of Lake Cocolalla that would indicate that years ago there existed bunk houses, barns, and ice houses that was the source of prime "blue ice" for the nation.
To see more great old photos of Sandpoint and the surrounding areas :: Click Here ::
All photographs have been used with permission of the Bonner County Museum.
Old Sandpoint
To experience the charm of a town one must live there. Bob Selle is an old-timer in the Sandpoint area. Here, in his own words, he gives us a peek at a young person's...
Early Sandpoint "Hang Town"
Today Sandpoint, Idaho is known for its beautiful lake and majestic mountains. It is known as a good place to find serenity and a sense of peace. But the Sandpoint...
McFarland House
The old building is called the McFarland House by practically everyone that lives in the Sandpoint, Idaho area. It is located on the corner of Highway 95...
The Fish House
The whistle of the strange looking craft broke the silence as it pulled away from the City Docks of Sandpoint...
Street Cars
In the early days of Sandpoint, Idaho there was quite a transportation problem. For most people there were two ways of getting around-walk or ride a horse...
USO Club
The community Hall in Sandpoint, Idaho took on a national function in 1942. The YMCA leased the hall from the city for $1 a year to be used as a USO club...
2nd Sandpoint Hospital
It was on May 23, 1903 that the Northern Idaho News heralded the opening of Sandpoint's second hospital by stating, " Dr. Ones F. Page established a hospital...
First School
In the early years of the pioneer town called Sandpoint, it was a struggle for parents to educate their children. Funds had to be subscribed to hire the teachers...
Along the Wild Horse Trail
Long before the white man came there was a trail. The Indians for time immemorial had used it. The old trail started on the Spokane River and ran through...
Bonner County Poor Farm
Pat Gooby has lived in Sandpoint all his life and as a child did chores at the old County Poor Farm. I asked Pat to tell me a story about the farm and here...
Coming Home
We sat on the lawn in front of the house that had meant so much to her. She, and her three children, had come from Seattle for a time of remembering...
Hope, Idaho
The first white man to come to the area was the famed David Thompson, map maker and fur dealer. He had traveled from Canada and built Kulyspell House...
The Campfield Ferry
The Idaho Territorial Legislature granted a license to operate a ferry to Charles H. Campfield and Associates. That was on December 22, 1864. The authorized...
Sandpoint had no Ferry
On April 18, 1891, C.R.Martin and A.T.Dickinson received a license for $36.00 after posting a $1,000.00 bond, authorizing them to operate a ferry at...
Here and There in Sandpoint 2
At one time Priest Lake was the scene of a movie camp owned by Nell Shipman. She was an old time movie star and produced movies at Lionhead Lodge...
Library in the Early Years
The roots of the present library system in Bonner County, Idaho, started in 1905 when a few individuals opened a "free reading room". Hope was...
Logging in Bonner County
Bob Selle has lived in this area since 1923. He was seven years of age when his family came to the Sandpoint area. His first experience in logging...
The Sundance Fire
The Selkirk Mountains still show scars from the devastating effects of the Sundance fire. The fire started on August 23, 1967 with a lightning strike...
Pend Oreille Lodge
The two old chimneys still stand like two fingers pointing to the heavens. They are all that remain of what once was a show place along the banks of...
Sandpoint 1901-1902
When you walk the main streets of today's Sandpoint you will find most of the businesses are geared to meet the need of the tourist that frequent the area...
Smelting Companies
It was in March, 1903, that the Kootenai County Republican announced that "ground will be broken in ten days" for the new smelting company located at...
Technology
Men invent things for two reasons: There seems to be in every person a desire to find a better way of doing things and the second reason for invention is to make...
Train Technology
Sandpoint, Idaho, came into being because of the railroad and timber. The advances in technology in these two areas are mind boggling. Follow the railroad...
The War Years 2
Many people came to Sandpoint during the war years. Two of them were Beth Knight and Price May. Her story, in her own words, continues and she tells about...
Trestle fr. Sunnyside to TrestleCr.
The picture is of the old trestle that used to go from Sunnyside to Trestle Creek just a few miles from Sandpoint, Idaho. In the picture there is seen...
©Copyright 1998- by Sandpoint.com - All rights reserved