The Duck Pond

I was reminded of the Duck Pond when I came across the news that it now has a dog park, a couple of fenced pens for dogs to run around in without a lease. I'll save my opinion of this for when I have seen it for myself.



By some good luck this is an item I came across during my Google search, courtesy of the Ridgewood Historical Society. It reminded me once again of how times change, and how we are smart when we find new uses for old ideas. In this case, ice was a prized commodity in the days before refrigeration could be afforded by everyone. By the time I came around the Duck Pond had fortunately evolved into a skating rink in the winter, a place for elementary school class parties, and a spot to take a date for a stroll during more temperate climate.

I am hoping that Ridgewood finds a similar use for Graydon Pool which is just as enduring as the one that was found for the Duck Pond. Seeing Graydon empty, like I did recently this summer, is not something which brings back any good memories for me, or makes financial sense when we are in the middle of a depression. Just my two cents.
Now the article which made me smile:


"When The Duck Pond Was More Than A Walk In The Park"

Before there were refrigerators there was the Duck Pond. As recently as the early 1930s, local hotels, inns and uptown markets relied on ice to keep food fresh and lemonade cold. Ridgewood’s Duck Pond was a major source of ice at that time, which was harvested and stored in the winter for use in warmer days. The enterprise was owned by Garret Tallman and Walter Hanham and their “empire” consisted of six wooden buildings that stretched from the west bank of the pond to Pleasant Avenue.

Blocks of ice two feet thick and three to four feet long were cut and hauled by pulleys into the ice house where it was stacked between layers of salt hay to prevent melting. Horses were used to maneuver the ice from pond to shed and they required special horse shoes to grip the slippery ice. If an accident sent the animals into open water, everyone participated in their rescue. Any delay could mean sickness or death for the horses.

The stored ice lasted throughout the warm weather season. Ice was not used in the winter as families relied on pantry boxes set in the windows, or lowered into a well. In the fall, the pond was drained and cleaned and men in hip boots would rake the bottom. This proved a bonanza for the people of the area: fresh fish was available for dinner! Many people waited at the pond’s edge for the fish thrown to them by the rake wielders. In time, we progressed to refrigeration and harvested our own ice in trays. Then the Duck Pond became a walk in the park!

Source: Alberta C. Ruckert, The Record 4/28/80 Photo: National Geographic