The Icebox, the Ice Man, and Union Ice
Contributed by the Patty O'Reilly, HH80 Board Member

In the days before the refrigerator, what did people use to keep their food cold? It was a cabinet that looked more like a piece of furniture than an appliance and was simply called The Icebox. The top shelf held a large block of ice and food was stored on shelves below. An Ice Man came to your home with his big tongs and a large pre-cut block of ice. There was a drip pan beneath the ice box that had to be emptied each day, but if you had a good icebox you didn't need new ice for three days. Younger people may find it amusing, but many over the age of 65 still refer to their refrigerators as "the icebox".

For an excellent article on the icebox, along with some very good illustrations and history, click here.

There was a Union Ice outlet at 38th and El Cajon Blvd, approximately 1/3 of the way along the portion of Historic Highway 80 that followed the Boulevard from Park Boulevard on the west to La Mesa Blvd. on the east. It was there for many years and served not only residential customers but commercial customers as well. There were four delivery trucks and a drive-in service. At some time in the 1970's, the outlet was closed and Union Ice disappeared from El Cajon Boulevard.

But that was not the only outlet in San Diego. What made Union Ice a really important business was its involvement with the San Diego tuna industry in the days before World War II. There was a huge "ice dock" at the foot of the B Street Pier. The fishing boats would stop there on their way out to sea to have their holds blown full of roughly ground ice. Forward holds would be left empty. Then, as the tuna were caught, the fishermen could chop the ice more finely and layer it with the fish in the empty hold, freezing them solid and preserving them for the duration of the trip, which could be months. On the ship's return they would slowly defrost the fish, allowing the ice to melt, so that the fish were ready to be delivered to the canneries when they reached port in San Diego again.

In later years, the technology changed and the tuna fleets switched from fresh ice to fresh water brine, which was more efficient and reliable, but for a considerable period of years Union Ice was extremely important in the community.

It was equally important everywhere ice was needed for refrigeration. At one time Union Ice had more than 150 outlets in the State of California. The company's corporate headquarters are still in Los Angeles and there are still outlets scattered throughout the state. To learn more visit www.unionice.com .

Auto Club Archives
Steven Varner, Board Member
www.americanroads.us

On Friday, May 23, 2008, I visited the archives of the Automobile Club of Southern California. I have to say that I was really like a kid in a candy store! I was assisted by Morgan Yates, the ACSC corporate archivist. There was definitely way more there than I could even think about getting in one trip.

The archives have complete sets of Touring Topics and Westways (of course). They also have a full set of California Highways and Public Works from the Department of Transportation, and other publications.

There are indices to the folded maps, strip maps, guide books, Touring Topics, and other publications. Indices to the map products are arranged by title, date, subject, etc.

I am used to research work in libraries. In fact I used to do it in college as a summer job for a professor friend of mine, in addition to what I did for my classes. It was good Morgan left for the day at 4 pm or I'd still be there now. click here for full article

Note - We hear many favorite Old Highway 80 memories from people as we're out in the community creating awareness of the route and now we'd like to invite all of you to share your favorite stories with our readers. Please send us your favorite story for inclusion in a future e-Newsletter issue. Stories should be three to five paragraphs and please include a picture if you can.

Did You Know?
San Diego County had three US numbered highways: US 80, US 101 and US 395. All three are now California State historic highways.

HH80 Membership
We would like to Welcome our newest members of the Historic Highway 80 Corporation:

The Historic Highway 80 is in full swing kicking off our 1st Annual Membership Drive. We have had several meetings and are ready to hit the road (the Historic Highway 80 road of course!) Memberships range from $25-$2,500 with opportunities such as advertising, web acknowledgement, free subscription to "American Road Magazine" and HH80 merchandise. If you would like to become a member, please contact me at the information below AND if you would like to be a part of the membership committee and win great prizes, please contact me. I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Lori Cartmill
619.787.6635
"Ranchero" (Individual)
$25/yr
Membership card, Decal

"Woodie" (Family)
$40/yr
2 Membership Cards, 2 Decals

"Model A" (Senior: 55+)
$20/yr
Membership Card, Decal

"T-Bird"
$150/yr
Membership Card, Decal, Highway Sign

"Corvette"
$250/yr
Membership Card, Decal, Highway Sign,
Web Acknowledgment, 1 Year Subscription to American Road

"Cadillac"
$500/yr
Membership Card, Decal, Web Acknowledgement, Highway Sign, HH80 Baseball Cap, 1 Year Subscription to American Road

"Rolls Royce" (Lifetime/sustaining)
$2500 and up
Membership Cards, Decals, Highway Sign, Web Acknowledgement, Travel Guide Ad, Highway Sign, 5 Year Subscription to American Road, 2 HH80 Baseball Caps, 2 T-Shirts, Plaque

Non-Profit Organization
$150/yr
Membership Card, Website Acknowledgement, Highway Sign, Decal

Business Organization
$250/yr
Membership Card, Website Acknowledgment, Highway Sign, Decal

PASSPORT THROUGH TIME
Public Invited to Enjoy Historic Highway Route 80
During 3rd Annual Passport Road Trip Event, Oct. 18, 2008

Historic Highway 80 from the harbor to the backcountry will rumble once again as the 3rd Annual Passport Road Trip takes place on Saturday, October 18, 2008, from 9 am – 2:30 pm. The public is invited to join the "cruise". It will originate at The Automotive Museum in Balboa Park and end at Viejas Outlet Center at 3 pm. Viejas is also hosting its annual BBQ Challenge Cookout where guests will be able to enjoy delicious BBQ meals in conjunction with Historic Highway 80 displays and prize drawings.

To participate in the "Passport" contest, drivers check in at Balboa Park and then choose among the many Pit Stops to have their "Passport" stamped to be eligible for the opportunity to win valuable prizes during the drawing at the Outlet Center. The Historic Highway 80 Corporation is a non-profit, charitable organization. The Passport Road Trip is supported by member businesses in the communities along the route. For more information or to learn how you can support the effort to build awareness of Historic Route 80 please call 619.445.0180.


Discover the Arts Along HH80
Inspired by the Highway 80's historic development, artist Rene Alvarez chose to document the paving of El Cajon Boulevard.