Harvesting ice was big news in the early 20th century on the Zumbro

Harvesting ice was big news in the early 20th century on the Zumbro

It used to be that winter time was harvest season on the Zumbro River. Starting as early as December, blocks of ice were cut — “harvested” — from the frozen river and stored in large ice houses. The ice was often referred to as a “crop” or “commodity.” The ice was, in fact, practically as important to the region’s agribusiness as anything that grew from the soil. “It is almost needless to urge that every farmer put up enough ice to use through t…