THE ICE INDUSTRY 
IN ROCKLAND COUNTY

Ice-cutting on Rockland Lake
(Source: Historical Society of Rockland County)

At the turn of the century, the ice industry flourished on Rockland Lake, a clear and crystal body of water, about four miles in circumference. It is from this beautiful lake that the citizens of New York obtain their supply of ice during the summer months.

The picture above, shows the Ice Company's men busy at work reaping the icy harvest. The ice industry employed over 2,000 people. The blocks of ice were stored in the large ice-house at the edge of the lake. That ice-house was capable of stowing away about 20,000 tons of ice, and preserving it completely from the effects of the external heat during the summer season.

Source:http://www2.nypl.org/home/Hudson/collections/guides/guides2.html

Later, the ice was packed in a large roughly-built box on a cart, which was on wheels made from sawed sections of logs. The cart was hauled to a river landing on the Hudson River where everything but the wheels were loaded on a boat for transport to New York City. In New York, the box was slid back on the wheels and taken to its destination. Rockland Lake was the center of this important ice industry for about one hundred years until the industry was closed in the 1920's with the advent of mechanical refrigeration. 

Source: Talman, Wilfred Blanch. How Things Began. The Historical Society of Rockland County, 1977.