Notes from the artist:

Before there were refrigerators, there were ice boxes.  Similar in appearance to the newer appliances, these simple chests were cooled by a large block of ice.  Where to find ice?  The answer was easy, there was a huge supply just to the south covering alot of Flathead Lake.  In winter, thick blocks were harvested with saws and hauled for storage by horse and sled.

Just north of the lakeshore town of Somers sits the ice house.  Its thick walls were insulated with sawdust from the mill.  The ice was stacked inside and packed with more sawdust.  Carefully tucked away, the ice would last well into the early months of summer.