Lakeland Postcards
Ice Houses at Lakeland, Mich. The ice industry flourished in Lakeland on Zukey Lake from 1890-1929. George Schuller built the first commercial ice house on Zukey Lake, along the railroad tracks to the west of the site where Zukey Lake Tavern sits. For two weeks each year, they would cut ice, then store it in the ice house, insulating with marsh hay and shipping it via the nearby railroad. Tamarack trees from the east shore of Zukey Lake were used for uprights for the ice house. The introduction of refrigeration systems ended the ice industry in the area.
In her book, published in 1979, “So Melts the Ice,” Wilhelmina Swarthout shares her memories of the ice industry on Zukey Lake.