Ice Skating

rusty6 · Nov 18, 2018

Back in the 1940s they didn't spend a pile of money on hockey equipment or skating lessons. No need to drive the SUV to town to the skating rink. Just find an old pair of skates that fit and get out on the "big slough". In this picture from 1944 I don't think they even cleaned the snow off the ice. It must have been early in the winter before the snow got too deep. Probably right about this time.
I think about that picture sometimes when I'm working the land around the big slough.
I posted this photo on a history page I manage on facebook and thought it might be of interest here as it has a rural theme.

Crazy Horse · Nov 18, 2018

What a great photo ...... my dad was in uniform in 1944 (and I was in liquid form) .... but the photo reminds me of our family trips in the 50's to a place called Cooking Lake SE of here in the winter. Big old dance hall with a big fireplace, skating on the weekends, lots of fun.

sms · Nov 18, 2018

We did about the same in the sixties and early seventies on the neighbors farm pond. The pond was made by damming a small stream, only part was dug out and the rest flooded some woods leaving lots of dead trees in the back end. That wood made some great bonfires for after dark skating. One time they dropped the front end of a tractor through the ice trying to push the snow off, many times we shoveled an area to skate.

55 50 Ron · Nov 18, 2018

So familiar to me as we did that on a farm slough too. I never liked to do that though, when it was bitterly cold. There are 10 people in your picture, but only 9 names.

Ron

rusty6 · Nov 18, 2018

(quoted from post at 19:13:40 11/18/18) There are 10 people in your picture, but only 9 names.

Ron

You are right Ron. I see a comma at the left edge so I'm guessing there was another Person and name written that is just outside the frame. I will have to dig up the original photo and caption if I want to know who it is.

SVcummins · Nov 18, 2018

That?s a neat old picture . Grandpa use to tell stories about using snow skates he called them they looked like short skis 🎿

gtractorfan · Nov 18, 2018

This brings back memories of when I was a kid, my cousins had a pond in a woods with a little shanty next to the pond. After dark we'd gather, one of the cousins would go to the shanty, crank up a generator and lights strung around the pond would come on. How fun that was at night playing hockey with a bunch of friends and relatives!

JMS/.MN · Nov 18, 2018

Probably says..."me".

Stephen Newell · Nov 18, 2018

I've never lived anywhere where it would stay cold long enough to skate on a pond or lake. When I was young I used to find large puddles in fields you can skate on. Then I remember one time there was a ice storm that put a sheet of ice on the streets nearly an inch thick. I skated in the streets for many hours until there was enough traffic with chains on their tires to cut it up. Wore my dad's skates with about six pairs of socks so they would fit.

rusty6 · Nov 18, 2018

(quoted from post at 21:16:17 11/18/18) I've never lived anywhere where it would stay cold long enough to skate on a pond or lake.

That big slough never dried up except for a year or so in the dry 30s. And ice would be thick enough by early November and stay that way til March or April. Ice fishing on the lakes south of me is a regular winter sport with fishing shacks and 4x4s all over the ice.
This pic from the early winter of 1976 or 77 shows my brother out "skating" with his Volkswagen Beetle on one of our medium sized sloughs.

SDE · Nov 18, 2018

My uncle had a small watering hole for some livestock. After it froze over, he plowed the snow from it with their little Ford tractor. When my cousin went to skate on it, he heard the ice crack and my uncle thought that that was funny.

sms · Nov 19, 2018

I remember my brothers Mustange about 60 MPH across a lake suddenly going
sideways and hoping there were no tip-up holes in our path.

sms · Nov 19, 2018

We skated on the road after an ice storm and you don't think about how difficult going down hills can be.

Stephen Newell · Nov 19, 2018

Fortunately there was no hills in my town. I probably would have seen just how fast I could go down a hill.

Traditional Farmer · Nov 19, 2018

Any place that gets cold enough so I can drive a car on a lake in the Winter is a place I want to live at least 300 miles South of.

BushogPapa · Nov 19, 2018

You found a lake with a HILL in it..??

Red Green will need to tell Moose Thompson about that..!!

Bruce from Can. · Nov 19, 2018

Our farm was on a Island, in the middle of a lake. The lake was our play ground, boating, skating, snowmobiling, and of course driving cars before we were old enough to drive the road. As soon as the ice was good, usually about now, we would be out skating on the lake. We could skate the two miles up the lake and across to town. Pair of boots tied together around your neck to put on when you got to town. Just ditch are skates , hanging on a tree limb on the shore, and hike up to the chinaman?s restaurant for some French Fries. Most times we would take a hockey stick , and chase a puck there and back. Oh to be that young again !!

tomstractorsandtoys · Nov 19, 2018

You spent the first half of winter remembering how nice last summer was and the second half of winter thinking how great next summer will be. Winter in the north is no fun but it sure beats the heat and humidity that you get from May to Oct. Tom

Crazy Horse · Nov 19, 2018

Where did you grow up Bruce? Funny how the term "Chinaman" is so frowned upon now, I used it all my life with no negative intent whatsoever but have to be careful nowadays. Really, I can see some concern over some nicknames, that one I still don't find offensive. As a matter of fact, I have read that it was originally the Chinese railroad workers that referred to themselves that way. We grew up in a neighborhood where there was a little grocery store, I guess a bit of a hangout really, we just called it the Chinaman's store and nobody seemed to get themselves in a knot about it. Like your photo, times certainly do change.

Traditional Farmer · Nov 19, 2018

Give me the heat and humidity anytime over cold,actually I like a good ole hot Summer day.

Bret4207 · Nov 19, 2018

Most of us didn't have skates, we just shuffled around on the ice. I still remember not knowing white skates were for girls and black for boys, and wearing a borrowed set of white ones and getting laughed at. Oh, the shame! I got a ratty set of figure skates at one point and thought I was pretty cool. Then I got an even rattier set of hockey skates and found out that my genetic-pre disposition to bad ankles handed down on moms side really didn't cope well with hockey skates. I spent most of that winter limping on one foot or another.

Did lots better on skis!

buickanddeere · Nov 19, 2018

.

Wear a helmet and full face protection . Or be prepared to loose some front teeth.

Dave Sherburne, NY · Nov 19, 2018

My father used to tell stories about riding a bobsled from the top of east hill here in town down and out to the river on the west side of town. They had guys stationed at the 4 cross streets to stop traffic. Would have been about a mile long ride.This was back in the 1930's. When I was a young sprout, he built us a sled about 8 feet long to ride down the road. It was made of two sleds of the flexible flyer type one fixed to the rear of an 8ft. board and one "steerable" on the front.
For summer fun we tried my mothers buggy to ride down the hill, only once,, a fella could get hurt trying to steer that thing with baling twine tied to the front axle

showcrop · Nov 19, 2018

We had a pond across the road from our house. I remember one winter making a sail from two pieces of wood and an old bed sheet. We used to go to the second hand shop on a lady's porch when we needed bigger ones. I can remember my father asking which I liked better, skating or skiing, because I was just starting to ski. I remember answering "skating" and he replying that soon I would prefer skiing. It was probably the next winter that I would go both Sat and Sunday to the local rope tow hill if I could get a ride. Skiing cost a little more, but it was still only .25 for an afternoon. As a teen I got fairly aggressive and broke three skis. Every time when my father picked us up and I had a broken one I thought that he would be angry because money was always tight but he never was.

Ande · Nov 19, 2018

Oh boy, here we go...Was a friendly conversation,

Ande · Nov 19, 2018

Great post Rusty.

showcrop · Nov 19, 2018

(quoted from post at 10:36:11 11/19/18) My father used to tell stories about riding a bobsled from the top of east hill here in town down and out to the river on the west side of town. They had guys stationed at the 4 cross streets to stop traffic. Would have been about a mile long ride.This was back in the 1930's. When I was a young sprout, he built us a sled about 8 feet long to ride down the road. It was made of two sleds of the flexible flyer type one fixed to the rear of an 8ft. board and one "steerable" on the front.
For summer fun we tried my mothers buggy to ride down the hill, only once,, a fella could get hurt trying to steer that thing with baling twine tied to the front axle

Dave, that sounds like what was called a Traverse sled. My wife has one that was handed down to her mother that they used when she was a kid.

Ande · Nov 19, 2018

Rusty, thanks or sharing, enjoyed it. My Dad built a snow plane and he grew up not having 2 nickels to run together, he had a blast he told me with the old snow plane

Bret4207 · Nov 20, 2018

Anyone ever see an ice boat? Picture a sail boat on skates. Used to be somewhat common in the north. In an open winter (not much snow) in windy areas you could get up over 50-60mph on those things! Haven't seen one or even heard of them in many years.

showcrop · Nov 20, 2018

(quoted from post at 06:00:37 11/20/18)

Anyone ever see an ice boat? Picture a sail boat on skates. Used to be somewhat common in the north. In an open winter (not much snow) in windy areas you could get up over 50-60mph on those things! Haven't seen one or even heard of them in many years.

Brett, if you come over for that suction hose on a Sunday when it has been cold but little snow you would see them on lake Massabesic next to Manchester NH.

calf · Nov 21, 2018

If you go to the Minneapolis CL, and search on 'sailboat', you will find about four for sale now. You will have to page thru the ads for the 'real' saliboats though.

(quoted from post at 14:00:37 11/20/18)

Anyone ever see an ice boat? Picture a sail boat on skates. Used to be somewhat common in the north. In an open winter (not much snow) in windy areas you could get up over 50-60mph on those things! Haven't seen one or even heard of them in many years.

Ice Skating

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