Walking in a Winter Wonderland

The sun is shining and the snow is sparkling outside the Scott County Historical Society museum. After several days of fog, folks are out on the street enjoying the snow. A sunny day in winter is delightful, whether you are sledding outside or holed up inside where it is warm. Below, find a selection of seasonal photographs from the SCHS collections. Enjoy the winter!

Downtown Shakopee after a blizzard. C.J. Stunk (seen holding a shovel) and several other men are standing on a shoveled First Ave. Handwritten in pencil on the backside of the image is “Sunday March 12th – 1899. 10 am.

Photograph of downtown Shakopee after a March snowstorm. The photo shows First Avenue looking southeast. 1899.

Two men moving logs on North Meridian Street in Belle Plaine. 

Thomas O’Connor delivering mail in Belle Plaine. 1905

Men clearing snow from the roads in Shakopee. 1905.

Postcard of Pond’s Mill in Shakopee during the winter. The card is addressed to Miss Clara Logenfeif of Shakopee but is unused.  1908.

Winter street scene in New Prague, Minnesota, probably a market day. 1914.

The Coller family standing outside their downtown Shakopee home. Seen from left to right are Julius Coller, I, Coe Coller and Julius Coller, II, and their dog (name unknown). 1914.

Holiday decorations inside a Shakopee home. 1915

Women ice skating in Shakopee, most likely on the Minnesota river. 1920.

The exterior of 434 South Lewis Street in Shakopee after a snowstorm. 1927. 

Two children wearing winter coats in Belle Plaine. 1928.

 Harry Weldon playing guitar with his dog during winter. 1933.

Arthur Bohnsack with two of his children, Arlyn and June standing in front of their new Chevorlet. Taken in St. Patrick MN. 1940.

Ray and Loretta (Mamer) Robel of Prior Lake sitting in their living room on Christmas. 1950.

Snowy road after a blizzard in Shakopee. 1950.

Christmas card featuring the Pekarna boys. 1954.

LeRoy Lebens shoveling snow outside his Fifth Avenue home in Shakopee. 1955.

Two Shakopee High School students in winter finery. 1958.

Cat in the snow. Shakopee 1959.

Nevins family holiday decorations, 1960

Clark family Christmas photo. 1963

The Minnesota River outside Shakopee. 1965.

Johnson family Christmas photo. 1970

Downtown Shakopee block with piles of snow. Date unknown.

Enjoy the winter!

Compiled by Rose James, SCHS Program Manager

Harvesting Ice

Back in the days before refrigerators and freezers, harvesting ice was a major wintertime business in Scott County. In the month of January when the ice was “ripe,” men would go to work cutting blocks of it out of local lakes and the Minnesota River.

In the book As I Remember Scott County, Frances Brandl of Belle Plaine, whose brothers ran an ice harvesting business, details this process:

Cutting ice was a very hard, heavy job. First of all it was cold, very cold, during the month of January. At times it was also wet, should one slip and fall into the lake, which happened.

The ice was sawed with a long heavy saw with a wooden handle on one end. The ice blocks were sawed 18×36 inches. The depth varied with the winter. Blocks had to be sawed very straight on all sides or they would not pack tight in the ice houses. The ice was covered and packed tight with saw dust.

Farmers loaded ice onto horse-drawn sleds and hauled it back to their farms, while icemen went door-to-door in town selling blocks to families for their iceboxes. Harvested ice was also used by grocery stores, saloons, creameries, meat packers, and breweries. In fact, all of the breweries that existed in Scott County prior to Prohibition were located along the Minnesota River or another stream or creek to allow for easy access to ice, and the breweries all had ice storage facilities as well.

Ice harvested in the winter months was used throughout the spring and summer – the sawdust or straw it was packed in kept it from melting. In addition to preserving food, this ice made possible a favorite summertime treat: ice cream.

Below are photos from the SCHS’s collection of a 1905 ice harvest on the Minnesota River. These photos depict a complex operation that involved cutting blocks of ice by hand and then using a wooden pulley system and conveyor belt to move the ice.

Ice harvesting on the Minnesota River at Shakopee. In the background you can see a wooden pulley system and conveyor belt used for moving blocks of ice. 1905. From the SCHS Collections

Workmen cutting ice on the Minnesota River at Shakopee. They are standing on a wooden boardwalk placed over the frozen river. 1905. From the SCHS Collections.

Close-up of the wooden pulley system and conveyor belt used to move blocks of ice. 1905. From the SCHS Collections

Another view of the pulley system and conveyor belt. The ice visible in the foreground of the photo appears to have been scored. 1905. From the SCHS Collections

The front side of the wooden pulley system and conveyor belt. The wooden pulley system is constructed along the shore of the river. The front side shows areas divided by vertically placed pieces of wood. Blocks of ice available for purchase are stacked within each stall. The image is looking down into one stall, which contains blocks of ice, five workers and a wooden conveyor belt. 1905. From the SCHS Collections

Men standing on the narrow wooden boardwalk cutting blocks of ice by hand. 1905. From the SCHS Collections.

Snowy Scenes of Scott County: Winter Images from the LeRoy Lebens Collection

As a man who seemed to always have a camera on hand, LeRoy Lebens managed to catch great photos of life in Scott County, even in the cold depths of Minnesota winters. As we continue an inventorying of his collection here at the Scott County Historical Society, a number of his photos have stood out, showing the beauty and life of Scott County in winter. Despite our current frigid temperatures, I feel that these photos are a great way to celebrate winter. If you’re interested in finding out more about the Lebens Collection, please come visit us at the Scott County Historical Society.