Potsdam Raquette River Walk

Potsdam Raquette River Walk. Ice House Row/ Adirondack Tea/ River Recreation. , Ice House Row , Until electric refrigeration became widespread in the 1930s, Potsdam villagers relied on iceboxes stocked with ice blocks cut from the river and stored under sawdust in icehouses along Water Street (now Riverside[sic Riverview-Google] Drive). Two-man teams using gosoline-powered circular saws cut the ice and hauled it to the icehouses using derricks, pulleys, and tongs. , (left to right)Ice wagon; Cutting ice offshore near Water Street, circa 1900. , Adirondack Tea , The brown color of the Raquette's water is not caused by mud, iron, or pollution, but by vegetation. Tannin leached by rainwater from the roots of trees, especially hemlocks, drains into the river. The same tannin was extracted from the hemlock bark to tan animal skins for leather in the many tanneries that operated along the river in the 19th century. , River Recreation , In the 1920s and 1930s, a concrete retaining wall, topped with pillars and rings for mooring boats, defined the character of Ives Park's shoreline. The Smith family operated a boathouse and rented boats to fisherman, picnickers, sightseers, and courting couples. , The park was enlarged in the 1970s when buildings along Water Street were torn down. , A canoe race observed by a crown on the east bridge, circa 1900. , Courtesy of the Potsdam Museum [all three photos on marker].