NVB Ice Cellar Field Trip by Hanna Elmore, 8th Grader

A few weeks ago some of the HMS classes took a field trip to an ice cellar located in Browerville. The Native Village of Barrow provided our students with the opportunity to see a fairly new ice cellar made just this past summer. Students and teachers all got into our school vehicles and it took about 5 minutes or so to get there. When we all arrived we had to take this trail that led us to a little house type thing over the entrance. The trail thing was short but really muddy.

When we got inside the house thing we saw shelves and a big hole into the ground with a ladder down in the hole. When we looked down the hole that were about 14 ladder steps down. We were amazed that the ice cellar was so big and so wide on the inside. One by one we all slowly made our way down the ladder steps. When you see everyone else going down it seems so scary, but once you start to climb down it's not as bad as your imagination may have let you believe.

While we were down there checking the place out Vera Williams from the Native Village of Barrow was giving us a speech on when they began to make the ice cellar, what it would be used for, and how it would be good for the community. She also told us that unlike in today's more modern freezers, food does not get freezer burn when it is stored in a traditional ice cellar. Many of us thought that was pretty amazing. They say that each spring they take out the old snow and put in new snow in the bottom of the ice cellar so that it stays clean in there.

We all enjoyed the chance to be able to see the newest and most likely largest ice cellar. I'd also like to tell HMS students if they ever get a chance to see an ice cellar, I strongly suggest you go.

We'd like to thank the NVB for their willingness to have students and teachers come to the ice cellar and learn about a traditional food storage place.