Ice Scenes

Ice Scenes Cincinnati, Ohio City of Cincinnati, 1918

Ice Scenes Ice in the Ohio River, 1936. Cincinnati from Kentucky side, Island Queen in background.

Ice Scenes Ice in river, December 1935, Cincinnati. Island Queen and barges.

Ice Scenes Ohio River, Feb. 18, 1905, looking towards the Licking River, Covington.

Ice Scenes* Kanawha River, Pt. Pleasant, W. Va., 1904. Greenland behind ice piers; Raymond Horner breaking ice. Capt. Tom R. Greene was born in front texas room of Greenland about the time this picture was taken.

Ice Scenes Cincinnati crushed in ice, 1917.

Ice Scenes Marietta, Ohio, 1884.
Here we are down below the railroad tracks, ON the Ohio River (down on our fabulous corner) exactly 79 years ago. The time is January 1884 and the ice gorge will be the cause of our famous Flood of 1884 which reached an all-time crest of 52.9 feet on Feb. 9, 1884. The young men are comporting lightly on the formidable ice floes which are now frozen. In a few weeks, the water will rise and the gorge will break piling up further down the river creating an artifical dam which backed up the river and caused the highest flood level in Marietta up to that time. In the background, you see the levee and the prosperous business district along Ohio Street which catered to the river trade with a generous sprinkling of saloons.

Ice Scenes Princess - total loss. Ohio River below mouth of Kentucky River, 1918.

Ice Scenes Ice and flood at New Martinsville, 1959.

Ice Scenes Cake of ice at Clarington

Ice Scenes Ice gorge, 1918

Ice Scenes* Cincinnati, Oh., looking upstream, Marmet Landing, Feb. 18, 1905. Heavy ice. Towboat Winifrede above. Foot of Central Ave.

Ice Scenes* Ohio River, 1918 ice, Rochester, Pa., Jan. 1918. After the gorge at Crow's Run broke. In the far distance is the Rochester wharfboat, which came through.

Ice Scenes Pt. Pleasant, 1918.

Ice Scenes Dredges at Little Blue River, 1893.

Ice Scenes* Ice in Beaver River, Pa., Rochester, Pa., Jan. 1918. Towboat Dorothy Adgate. Bridge belongs to PRR, at mouth of the river.

Ice Scenes Ohio River, Cincinnati. C&O railroad bridge before rebuilding

Ice Scenes Feb. 18, 1905

Ice Scenes* Cincinnati, Oh., Licking River, March 1, 1905. Boats escaping ice.

Ice Scenes 1918

Ice Scenes Ice gorge, 1918

Ice Scenes Ice gorge, 1918

Ice Scenes Cincinnati, 1918

Ice Scenes St. Louis, Mo., 1866

Ice Scenes Steam tug Rescue No. 2 in ice at St. Louis.

Ice Scenes* Pomeroy, Ohio at the W.L. Downie wharfboat, prior to 1915. Big ice gorge, and looks like wharfboat is lost.

Ice Scenes* Ohio River, Vanport, Pa., 1936. Ice gorge preceding the flood of 1936.

Ice Scenes St. Louis, 1905.

Ice Scenes Feb. 6, 1940
The frozen Ohio River ice-locked the ferry boat, Kenneth at its wharf at Neville. Its owner, Donald Camery, who carried the mail across the river to the C.O. Railroad, has been using a rowboat part of the way and walking on the ice wherever possible. The man sitting is Walter Phillips, 79, Neville, adjusting a pair of skates for a spin over the ice. Phillips was once known as the champion skater of this section of the Ohio Valley. The last time he skated on the river was in 1918.

Ice Scenes Icecapades of 1905, Muskingum Park on right
See note below

Ice Scenes Icecapades of 1905: Mariettans in January of 1905 watched the thermometer drop below zero for an extended spell. Ear muffs, long underwear, galoshes, hand muffs and fur-lined gloves were dug out of the mothballs ready for use. A light snow had fallen but was not heavy enough for good sledding or sleigh-riding. Many Mariettans, wise to the way of the rivers had already broken out their ice skates and had oiled, polished and sharpened them, ready for the day when the Muskingum River ice would be thick enough to hold a body in complete safety. Those were the gold ole days when automobiles, movies, radio and TV as we know them today were unheard of. Local folks made do with whatever was on hand and found a lot of fun and recreation provided by nature such as fishing, boating, swimming, hiking, camping and in winter ice skating. Few people of this generation in Marietta have seen or experienced ice skating provided by nature. It has been 25 years or more since the rivers froze sufficiently to provide one of the most exhilarating and healthful of outdoor sports. There was no age limit for ice skating and anybody from tots, age two to oldsters, age 75, danced, frolicked, played tag, cracked-the-whip and other games. Few feelings compare to the thrill of gliding silently across the ice with all the freedom of movement that only ice skating can provide. Here was provided good clean fun and healthy exercise. Ice skating is an excellent aid for posture, a straight back and graceful movements of the body as well as providing a healthy glow from exercising the whole body. Either figure or speed skating, Mariettans enjoyed the Icecapades of 1905 as shown by the above pictures, the upper along Muskingum Park and the lower at the mouth of the Muskingum River.
Now that winter is approaching, "Round and Round" thought you might like to see how Mariettans had their fun back in 1905. Such scenes as shown above are priceless presentations of the American scene at the turn of the century--the face of the American landscape and the look of the people who lived in those days some 54 years ago. The things they did for fun and recreation have a universal quality in our national folk-memory. Probably ice skating on the Muskingum River in Marietta will never occur again. WHY? There has been climatic changes and huge power plants on the river dump hot water into the river which raises temperatures and prevents heavy ice (and ice gorges, floods) from forming--and, well, anyways, folks these days couldn't leave their automobiles or break away from their TV sets long enough to do some good ole-fashioned ice skating.
12/4/1962

Ice Scenes Kanawha, 1918

Ice Scenes* Ice in Beaver River, Pa., Rochester, Pa., January 1918. Looking up the Beaver River from its mouth; the towboat is the Dorothy Adgate.

Ice Scenes 1918 Pick and shovel attack acres of ice in terminal.

Ice Scenes Cincinnati, 1918

Ice Scenes Cincinnati, 1918

Ice Scenes Cincinnati, 1918

Ice Scenes* Augusta, Ky., taken at Boud's Ferry, Oh., looking at Augusta, Ky., January 8, 1918.

Ice Scenes* Feb. 18, 1905
Bonanza at extreme left, Hercules Cassel then Cincinnati with steam-up. Taken from under Suspension Bridge out on a barge in the ice, looking towards the Public Landing. Central and L&H bridges in distance.

Ice Scenes* Marietta, Ohio, Ohio River, 1882. Looking into mouth of Muskingum.

Ice Scenes* Augusta, Ky., Jan. 1918. This, I believe, is only photo in the collection showing a team and wagon crossing the river on ice.

Ice Scenes* Ohio River at Augusta, Ky. Probably taken in January, 1918; looks like a wharfboat in midstream.

Ice Scenes Charleston 1936

Ice Scenes Cutting ice out around Golden Eagle winter quarters, Alton Slough

Ice Scenes 1918, location unknown, Capt. William Pollock of Beaver, Pa.

Ice Scenes* Ohio River, Rochester, Pa., Jan. 1918. Fleet in mouth of Beaver River before the gorge at Crow's Run broke.

Ice Scenes Ice passing Charleston, Feb. 15, 1936.

Ice Scenes* Ice in Ohio River, Rochester, Pa., Jan. 1918. Bridge at extreme right is Rochester-Monaca highway bridge.

Ice Scenes* Ice in Beaver River, Rochester, Pa., Jan. 1918. Sand digger belonged to Foundation Co. Stern of towboat Dorothy Adgate on left.

Ice Scenes Feb. 7, 1966

Ice Scenes Jan. 31, 1966

Ice Scenes Feb. 7, 1966

Ice Scenes 1/23/1959 Allegheny River ice gorge, coming down Ohio River below Cresaps, W. Va.--runaway barges.

Ice Scenes 1/23/1959 Allegheny ice flow runaway barges, Ohio River. Looking down river from Cresaps, W. Va., Fish Creek Island.

Ice Scenes 1/23/1959 Allegheny ice flow runaway barges, Ohio River. Ohio Ferro Allozo Co., looking up river above Clarington.

Ice Scenes Ohio River, 1959 Ice floes and runaway barges, Ohio River between Powhatten Point and Marietta, Ohio.

Ice Scenes Ohio River, 1959 Powhatten Point, Ohio

Ice Scenes Ohio River, 1959 New Barge Piers, West Virginia Bridge, between Hannibal, Ohio, and New Martinsville, W. Va.

Ice Scenes Ohio River 1/23/1959 Allegheny ice flow

Ice Scenes* Cincinnati, Oh., Public Landing, Feb. 18, 1905. City of Cincinnati and Levi J. Workum A.R. Valentien, Rockwood Pottery artist in the foreground.

Ice Scenes* Cincinnati, Oh., between Central and L&N Bridge, Feb. 18, 1905. Towboat Relief sunk in ice. Delta of Pittsburgh had just been raised from the water and had steamed-up for the first time that day.

Ice Scenes The Hildebrand home after an ice gorge. Presented to F. Way, Jr. by Mr. Hildebrand, Lockmaster at Dam 4, Allegheny River, 1949.

Ice Scenes Ohio River ice, March 3, 1940.

Ice Scenes* Ohio River, Vanport, Pa., 1936. Ice gorge: Mrs. William S. Pollock (left), Capt. William S. Pollock (center) and Fred Morrison survey the desolation.

Ice Scenes Kanawha River

Ice Scenes Kanawha River

Ice Scenes Kanawha River

Ice Scenes Kanawha River

Ice Scenes* Marietta, Ohio, Muskingum River mouth, 1885. In ice harbor, Courier, Barnard, Hope and others.

Ice Scenes* Yankton, S. D., ice jam, 1881. Helena in foreground. The Western was lost here in this gorge.

Ice Scenes* Yankton, S. D., Missouri River, Jan. 1881. Ice has demolished the packet Western. The boat at the landing is the Peninah (2nd of the name). What is the ferryboat?

Ice Scenes* Ohio River, Rochester, Pa., 1936. The immense ice gorge preceding the record 1936 flood in the upper Ohio.

Ice Scenes Cincinnati 1918

Ice Scenes Ice gorge, 1918, in Cincinnati

Ice Scenes* Ohio River, Rochester, Pa., Jan. 1918. Just after the gorge broke at Crow's Run and shoved the fleet into the mouth of the Beaver River.

Ice Scenes* Ohio River, Vanport, Pa., 1936. Ice gorge, early 1936. Across is the Poor Farm which is no longer there (1961).

Ice Scenes* Ice gorge, Ohio River, Vanport, Pa., Jan. 1936. Ice here upset a large sand dredge, the Captain, of the McCrady-Rodgers Co.

Ice Scenes* Ice gorge, Ohio River, Vanport, Pa., early 1936. People walking across the Ohio River.

Ice Scenes Ohio River, 1905.

Ice Scenes* St. Louis, Mo., Public Landing, 1866. Ice break-up, Jan. 10-14 and many boats were lost.

Ice Scenes Feb. 1, 1940 This photo of the Ohio River ice gorge was made at Madison, Indiana, where cakes of ice have been piled to a height of almost six feet through pressure exerted by the huge snow-covered mass in the frozen river.

Ice Scenes Ohio River ice, March 3, 1940

Ice Scenes Ohio River ice, Jan. 28, 1940, Aurora, Ind.

Ice Scenes "No, It's Not On Fire!" Louisville, Ky., Jan. 27, 1936--The ice-breaker U.S. Ottawa is shown "steaming" up the Portland Canal here today, striving to keep a channel open for river traffic. Enveloped in steam, and fighting hard, it appears a vain effort, as a complete freezing over of the Ohio River is inevitable.

Ice Scenes Feb. 2, 1936 Str. Sam P. Suit
A picturesque "snap" on the Ohio River at Cincinnati showing a tow boat making its laborious way up the river through the ice floes that are impeding traffic. Boats of all description have either been slowed down or stopped altogether as a result of the unusual weather.

Ice Scenes Ohio River, Jan. 1926. Str. Cincinnati taken from Suspension Bridge.

Ice Scenes Ohio River, Jan. 1926

Ice Scenes Ohio River, Newport, Ky.

Ice Scenes Ice in river, Dec. 28, 1935, Cincinnati

Ice Scenes Feb. 11, 1940 Ice floes against bridge piers at Cincinnati, Oh., during thaw which started early Sunday

Ice Scenes Cincinnati, Ohio River, March 3, 1940

Ice Scenes Ice in the Ohio River, Feb. 1905. Str. Bonanza, Hercules Cassel of Cin. O., and Cincinnati. Taken from Suspension Bridge looking toward the Public Landing.

Ice Scenes Cutting out ice around barge and Golden Eagle, Alton Slough, Illinois

Ice Scenes 1918 Portsmouth Oh.

Ice Scenes This photograph was taken from the West Virginia shore and shows the ice gorge in greater extent and the local citizens enjoying a frolic on the rough and jagged surface. During these ice gorges in the early days of Ohio River navigation, all river vessels found it necessary and expedient to find safe anchorage and sanctuary in river inlets or mouths such as shown above. When an Ohio River ice gorge moved out, anything along the shore moved out with it, and a sturdy river packet or towboat, if caught, was sure to be reduced to kindling and rubble when these huge blocks of hard, cold sharp ice started moving about. Due to changes in weather cycle in the Ohio Valley and the many new power plants located along the river thus raising the water temperature, a good old fashioned ice gorge on our river is reduced to a very remote possibility.