Featured Photo: Provided by Les Snodgrass from the Twentynine Palms Historical Society.
From Les: “Blowing up the picture below I see the house number is 6471 and the building next to it is 6473. So that would make it on the east side of Cholla. That means it must be Ted Holderman’s 2nd ice plant. Built in Oct/Sep 1948.”
Welcome to August – typically considered the peak of summer and those hot temps we’ve all been feeling. July’s early heatwaves may have taken a few of us by surprise as triple-digit temps kept things cooking during the day, without much relief at night.
Last week I asked for some tips on how you stay cool if you don’t have air conditioning, and some folks sent in some great suggestions.
Listener tips to stay cool
Like Bill Butler, who leans on evaporative cooling by putting on shirts and shorts that are still wet – creating an instant cooling effect around your body. “When I water my plants on some summer nights, I put as much water on myself as I do the plants.”
Marcia says she pays attention to which rooms heat up in her house, and has created cooler areas with lattice and shade cloth that blocks the sun from adding extra heat to her home. She also says moving air around is essential – a rechargeable fan makes it easy to place it where it does the most good, and ice packs and cold water on your feet and neck help, too.
Mark says that if you are cooking in your house, use your microwave instead of an oven, which will heat up your food more efficiently and create less ambient heat. He also made some sun-blocking reflective panels out of styrofoam and aluminum foil, which can be placed in windows during the day and easily removed at night for air circulation.
He also shares a tip that cotton thermal underwear over a white t-shirt is insulating, reflective, and it wicks perspiration away from the skin, increasing your bodies’ natural cooling.
Many of these “stay cool” methods lean on the principle that as water evaporates, it feels cooler. That’s why on less humid days a wet shirt feels nice and a swamp cooler blows icy cold air. Earlier desert dwellers had the same idea – and before solar panels and mini-splits, folks in the hi-and low deserts got creative with the power of cold, evaporating air.
Bill and Ted’s early ice houses in Twentynine Palms
Photo: Les Snodgrass, Twentynine Palms Historical Society
I asked Les Snodgrass at the Twentynine Palms Historical Society about early desert denizen’s methods to keep the temps down. He said many early residents cooled down food with “desert coolers” – a frame with a water reservoir, covered with burlap or similar material, which would keep the contents cool using evaporation.
100 years ago, ice wasn’t as easily accessible as your home freezer – which is why Twentynine Palms had an Ice Plant. Ted E. Holderman opened up his Ice Plant just over 90 years ago at what used to be called “Bagley’s Center.”
In a July 26th article from the 1934 “Twentynine Palms Outpost” newspaper, Holderman’s “Desert Ice and Cold Storage Company” was said to manufacture 2 tons of ice a day, with reports of one ton of ice being sold each day to eager Twentynine Palms residents.
The article says that Holderman was using the “newest type of refrigeration” in the manufacturing of his ice, and his ice house not only cooled down residents, it also gave jobs to local folks in the area. The article also complimented the Stubbs boys on their adobe brick construction.
Photo: Twentynine Palms Historical Society
That ice house eventually became the Twentynine Palms’ Historical Society’s Museum from October of 1982 until it was damaged and torn down after the Landers quake in 1992.
Smith’s Ranch
Smith’s Ranch had an ice house and an ice cream parlor. In an article written by Lucile Weight in the January 26th, 1977 edition of the Desert Trail – she says that Smith’s ice house allowed fresh fish in the desert – a delicacy – along with a still popular summer time treat: iced watermelon.
Photo: Twentynine Palms Historical Society
An even earlier article from the October 12th 1952 issue of the Desert Trail talks about Bill Smith’s dairy and the first load of ice he brought in at the request of his neighbors. In the spring of 1930 he trucked in the first load of ice to his nascent dairy and ranch, but a cold spell had set in and demand for ice dropped below zero – so Bill dug a pit to store the ice until demand and temperatures inevitably rose again.
Modern conveniences make staying comfortable much easier then “back in the day” – but even with the most advanced technology in cooling available, most desert folk rely on the classics to keep us cool: keep water around, make your own shade, and – maybe most importantly of all – take it easy when its extra hot. Even 100 years ago people just wanted simple pleasures like an ice cream cone from time to time – treat yourself and others this August as we make it through another hot season here in the hi-dez.
Thanks to everyone who emailed and commented with your tips, and special thanks to Les Snodgrass at the Twentynine Palms Historical Society, who was indispensable in providing material for research.
Below you can find links to PDF versions of the articles mentioned above – courtesy of the Twentynine Palms Historical Society.
Have an idea for a story, or want to share something about the history of the Morongo Basin? Email me: [email protected]
References and Resources
The Historic Twentynine Palms Plaza – Photos and Info: https://www.29palmshistorical.com/projects/historicSites/HistoricPlaza.php
