From the Special Edition Spring 2010 Fox Lake Grant Township Area Historical Society.
They used ice in ice boxes, where that term used for refrigerators comes from. Then, how did they get ice during the summer months. Answer, they cut it out of lakes during the winter and stored it in special structures built to hold the cold in.
One of the earliest industries in Lake County and around the Chain of Lakes here in northeast Illinois was ice harvesting.
Every winter, when the lakes froze to a depth of 18 to 24 inches, ice cutting crews would move out onto the lakes and begin cutting ice into standard-sized blocks which were then stored in sawdust insulated ice houses to be used during the summer.
Much of the ice was used for area hotels, resorts and restaurants. But, a lot was shipped by rail to Chicago.
The channel where we keep out boat in Fox Lake originally was built to haul the ice to a storage shed. The Alpine Inn in Round Lake was the bunk house for ice harvesters.
A Freezing Affair. --Cooter
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