Stillwater On Ice
The last community ice harvest at the west end of the Stillwater Reservoir occurred on Jan. 12 and 13, 1953. Later that year power lines finally reached the community and folks switched to electric refrigerators and freezers. Until then, refrigeration was provided by ice harvested from the flow. The two largest consumers of ice at Stillwater were the Stillwater Hotel and the Rap-Shaw Club. Both had large ice houses to fill. The 1953 ice harvest was a coordinated effort by these two institutions. The Rap-Shaw team was directed by the club steward, Herbie Nye, and included members Rex Baxter, Frank Leet, Harlan Wheadon, Dick Welliver, and guest Tom Root, Baxter’s brother-in-law from Ohio. The hotel team was led by Emmett Hill, the hotel owner, and included Denny Boshart, Bob Griswold, as well as one or two other unidentified Stillwater residents. Ice harvesting was simple, cold, hard work. First, the surface of the ice was cleared of snow by hand shoveling, then the ice was ...