Ice Harvesting

Ice Harvesting. . , Cutting and storing ice was called Ice Harvesting because it was viewed as the gathering of the cold weather crop. In Northern Michigan, ice was harvested in January and February., Snow was cleared from the surface of the ice., The ice depth was measured, ideally being at least a foot deep., The ice was marked into a grid two foot wide. Then deep grooves were cut with an ice plow, but not so deep that the ice would break under the weight of the horse., [Captions:] , Help in the Harvest , Ice is needed to Save Food for the Starving people of the World , world war one poster. , Once plowed, a handsaw cut the ice cakes from the main block. , A long pole with a hook was used to push blocks of ice to the bank of the lake. , The blocks were loaded onto wagons or, once available, trucks. , The blocks, which could weight up to 300 pounds, were pushed up and into the second level of the icehouse using a conveyor. , Notice the upstairs door at the back of the building., The ice was loaded compactly into the icehouse where it was chinked with snow then covered with sawdust.