Ice Skates Back Then
This month’s treasure is a pair of Dutch wooden ice skates. They were likely brought by one of the many immigrants who settled in Sturgis.
The hard wooden skates have iron blades with leather straps to secure them to shoes or heelless boots.
This style of wooden skates fell out of favor around the turn of the century when more efficient ice skates made of steel could be attached to a lace-up shoe or boot.
Imagine with me, horse drawn sleighs carrying bundled up passengers. They arrive at a pond for a day of fun.
While both women and men would ice skate, those unsure of their skating prowess might opt to ride on a skating sled, tucked under a blanket or fur and pushed by an ice skater.
Ice skating was a popular winter recreation in the 1800s, especially in Holland. Even today, when it is cold enough for the canals, rivers and lakes to freeze, people go out to skate.
Rachel Boland is a dedicated volunteer archivist and researcher at the museum.
