Before refrigerators were common, ice boxes were used. In Oregon, it was Ed and Ernie Culp who would cut ice during the winter months from Lake Harriet, just west of Oregon. The ice was stored in an ice house on the lake. The blocks were packed in sawdust and straw. When summer arrived the village customers displayed a sign indicating the size block of ice they needed that day. The ice wagon would come and cut the ice to the size requested by the customer. OREGON AREA HISTORICAL SOCIETY, 1995.65.1a, 1994.65.5a