PHOTO COURTESY OF THE TRAER HISTORICAL MUSEUM

John Mowery became Traer’s iceman in 1899. For 32 years, John harvested ice from Wolf Creek each winter. He built and maintained six dams in the creek. For many years the annual ice harvest was all hand work and required the services of 18 or 20 men several weeks. Later, a power saw shortened harvest to a week or two each year. Mowery employed two or three men year-round delivering ice to farmers as well as townspeople. In 32 years he ran short and had to import ice from other towns only three times. Usually, he had ice when supplies in other towns were exhausted, and he supplied dealers in these towns in emergencies. Public preference for manufactured ice in the 1930s led Mowery to quit the annual ice harvest from Wolf Creek. He supplied his customers with artificial ice made in Waterloo. Eventually, ice boxes were replaced by electric refrigerators.