Cascade Ice Company of Colorado was incorporated 1887. In southeast Pine Valley, they dammed up the West Monument Creek and built 2 reservoirs from which they harvested blocks of ice.
David McShane, Monument pioneer, started a construction company in 1887 and the photos you see show the exquisite rock work he and his team built to hold back water for Cascade Ice Lake #2.
This structure was heavily damaged in floods of 2013. Cascade Ice Lake #1 was located in the north end of what today is Ice Lake on USAFA (it was built in 1969 as a recreation lake).
Cascade ice harvesters cut blocks of ice (800-3000 tons annually) November to April (it varied of course). The ice was stored in 80 ft x 130 ft ice sheds made of stone and wood and insulated with sawdust. A railroad box car with thick wood walls filled with sawdust for insulation would be parked on one of two sidings and the ice loaded for shipment.
Cascade ended operations at Cascade Ice Lakes #1 & #2 in 1906.
Map of the D&RG RR switch/sidings in Cascade Ice Lake vicinity
supporting ice loading and transportation of ice
Ice Lake 2013 (Rob Lucas)
