Inground Ice Chests

[doorgunner]

While camping last month I was recalling some of my childhood camping experiences. I remember at Bear Brook State Park (New Hampshire) that each site had a inground cooler. I seem to remember that it was about 2' by 4' and maybe 18" deep. The wooden lid was on top of the mostly buried box. I think it was constructed of wood and had a dirt floor with a wooden grate.
my folks would buy ice from the ice truck in blocks every other day or so.
Things have changed in my 50 years of camping.
anyone else remember these ice chests?

[klattu]

We have something simular in he south...
They are called the BBQ pits

[CanoeStream]

Tim, I have a vivid memory of the clean smell in an icehouse buried under a hill in my dad's hometown of Clarion, PA.

Your in-ground cooler? Sure sounds like it would work!

[Airhouse]

In the last half of the 40s, that's 1940's, My dad had an Ice delivery business. We had a 28-- 29--34 Fleet!!! of trucks. No new ones available that soon after the WW2 I was a teenager and remember very well delivering to many lake and camp areas. all kinds of receptacle were used to keep the food from spoiling. But, what a wonderful time it was.

[HeadnOut]

There is a guy who lives in the National Forest Mountains of Virginia that I run into every year while deer hunting. He has been there for 8 years now. He has a in ground cooler he uses. Its about 2 feet or so in the ground, lined with rocks and the lid is wood covered by a tarp then rocks. Its big enough to keep smaller coolers in.
I was told that there is about 6 or 8 people that are in just that one area of the mountains living the same way...out of tents that is. The fellow is quite nice and always clean. He has a big dog as his companion. He will catch a ride into town for supplies when he can get one.
I have yet to see any of the others yet. He claims they are hermits, unlike himself who is very social.
Dave

[Gene]

When we were visiting an Inuit village on the Arctic Ocean several years ago one of the elders showed us their community freezer—a door over a hole in the ground leading down a ladder to tunnels in the permafrost. Same idea, somewhat colder. Here's a photo:

Gene

[ArtStream]

Tim,
Back when I was in the Scouts, we had one about at one of the camps. The one I remember was 3x2x2' deep. It was wood and canvas lined.

Thanks for the memory Tim, I can still smell the damp earthyness.

[Ag&Au]

Now days, in most places in the west, that would be excellent bait for a bear trap.

Originally Posted by doorgunner

While camping last month I was recalling some of my childhood camping experiences. I remember at Bear Brook State Park (New Hampshire) that each site had a inground cooler. I seem to remember that it was about 2' by 4' and maybe 18" deep. The wooden lid was on top of the mostly buried box. I think it was constructed of wood and had a dirt floor with a wooden grate.
my folks would buy ice from the ice truck in blocks every other day or so.
Things have changed in my 50 years of camping.
anyone else remember these ice chests?