Once a common sight in windows throughout the Twin Cities and beyond, ice carts were becoming an increasingly rare sight by 1957. What were they? Well, before the widespread use of mechanical refrigeration, customers had ice delivered to their homes. These cards were placed in windows so delivery drivers knew how many pounds of ice to drop off to each homeowner. The top number represented one’s order. Seen here is Lydia Reteuke who lived on the 1400 block of East Street in Bloomington. Back in 1957, she was one of the old-school holdouts. Delivered ice “was good enough for my mother and it’s good enough for me,” she said at the time!
