Dodge City Ice Plant

One of my earliest memories was going with my Grandfather Fred Kirkpatrick, Sr to get ice at the old ice plant in South Dodge. It was South of the tracks about two or three blocks and East of the old house with the cement pond as written about earlier.

We would go there whenever we came to visit which was about every weekend due to my father helping someone found a church there in Dodge City. He had a Friday night meeting for awhile in the Girl Scout Hut near Sunnyside School if memory is correct.

Grandpa and I would get in his 1959 Dodge Truck and go down to get the ice. It was a wonder of mechanical genius for a small boy to put in the money and listen to the grinding and pounding inside the big old building as the ice made its way to the chute.

He taught me to stand way back as we didn't get crushed ice but the big old blocks of clear solid ice as he believed it made better homemade ice cream. Then going home we would have to use an ice pick or ice shaver to reduce the block to useable pieces

I cant recall what it costs in those days and need to drive past there this year when I go through town in May to see if the old building still stands. So many memories from such simple things