The Armour and Company Icehouse was built in 1897-98 northwest
of Memphis, Nebraska. It
was one of the largest icehouses in the country, measuring approximately
180 feet wide, 700 feet
long, and 52 feet high. A 300-horsepower steam engine and two
generators provided electrical
power.
A manmade lake of about 100 acres was filled each fall from
Silver Creek. Harvesting began
when the ice was eight inches thick. It was scored, sawed, and
the blocks poled along an open
channel to elevators and into the ice rooms, where they were packed
in sawdust. In the spring the
lake was drained, leaving a small fish pond.
The ice was used in refrigerated railcars and meat-packing
plants, and was also sold to businesses
in eastern Nebraska. In 1899, 100,000 tons of ice were harvested.
It was common to ship 100 or
more railcars of ice each month during the summer. Twenty-five
employees lived nearby, and
300 men were hired during the busy season. The icehouse burned
in 1921. In 1930 Memphis
State Recreation Area was established at the site of the icehouse
and lake.
Ashland-Saline Ford Historical Preservation Society, 1998
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
Nebraska State Historical Society
Memphis State Recreation Area, on Nebr. 63 at Memphis
Saunders County
Marker 409