The Amish live by a Christian principle of mutual aid, meaning that they will join together to accomplish a task.

When I saw this man driving a freight wagon, it was one of many lined up at a pond where ice was being cut by other men. Each wagon took home tons of ice that would be safely stored away, packed in sawdust, to last through most of the year in a special shed designated for ice storage.

I still remember visiting Copper Harbor in the Upper Peninsula back in the early 1960s, where ice was harvested this traditional way and was for sale along the waterfront. An older guy used big ice tongs to take out a cube of ice, which he then dipped in a galvanized bucket full of Lake Superior water to wash off the sawdust.

SIZE: This photograph is printed at an approximate final size of a bit over 3x3,” and is printed on cotton rag photographic paper using pigmented inks for an estimated 400-year display life.

LIMITED EDITION: This photographic print is part of a limited edition produced by photographer Lee Rentz. The edition consists of 250 prints, which includes all sizes and methods of printing.