The following article published in the Sioux City Journal about 3 years ago gives a nice account of the Ice House's formation, ownership, and history. The Anderson family are well known in Yankton and one of the Anderson kids was my best friend growing up.
http://siouxcityjournal.com/special-section/siouxland_life/ice-house-serves-up-yankton-tradition/article_ea83bbbd-80b2-5380-bfb7-26d2fd30d889.html
"Stick" Jim Anderson lived less than a block away from my childhood home. I remember as little kids playing together. Jim later went to the Catholic grade school and I went to the public school so our paths didn't cross again until high school in the early 70's.
Since there wasn't a Catholic high school in Yankton, everyone went to the public school. It was there that Stick Jim and I were reunited and our friendship grew. We must've shared a class that Freshman year - not sure how we began to hang out. Maybe because we both bowled in the youth bowling leagues on Saturday afternoons. Whatever the reason, it wasn't long before we became the best of friends. (NOTE: Jim has nicknamed "Stick" because he was always so damn skinny.)
In addition to visits to the bowling alley, a walk to the Ice House also became part of our weekend routine. The Ice House had one of those real old-fashioned pinball machines. The kind that didn't have flippers and if you lined up the balls just right there was a cash payout. Of course this was all very illegal but if you knew the right people and didn't make too much fuss win or lose, there was always the potential for a big payout.
Oh yeah, and in case you didn't figure it out, the Ice House sold beer. It sold lots of beer. Lots and lots. On a hot summer's day, the cars would be 4 and 5 rows deep with a dock-full of locals swilling beer. It was especially fun (and potentially dangerous) when a gang of bikers would roar into town and hang-out at the Ice House for a day and night of drinking. There was just enough mixture of beer drinking locals, rough-and-tumble Harley riders, and women where it was only a matter of time before some tiny spark would explode into a full-on raging fire. Ringside seats were always a treat to watch those nights unfold.
Back in those high school days we would occasionally snag a 6-pack of our favorite beer (PBR of course was the beer of choice) and then walk the couple of miles home to beat curfew while drinking our beers. Maybe not the way a high schooler should be spending his weekend nights but it sure seemed like a good idea at the time.
For this posting's musical selection, here's a great clip from a favorite band during the late '70's - Kansas -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ob_Iwbd8h4
Years later, I would often stop by on a Sunday evening on my way back to college in Vermillion at the end of a weekend to visit my friend Jim as he worked at the Ice House on Sunday nights. A quick beer, a game of pinball, or maybe to argue pro football always made for a good way to end the weekend.
Jim later gained fame in the 80's appearing on the David Letterman Show. Fittingly in the "Stupid Human Tricks" segment for a skill he honed during his many nights at the Ice House. While I have never been able to find a link to the actual show segment, there is a short YouTube clip that chronicles the "skill" Jim had. See if you agree:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFGwdXi0mf8
Yes, I love the Ice House. And maybe, just maybe the next time you visit, you might find yourself sitting on the dock next to your Uncle Chris. If you do, buy him a PBR.
