Salina Ice Plant Fire of 1901

On the evening of June 17, 1901, the Salina Ice Plant caught fire. The fire was first discovered by the watchman, George Stockwell. The entire building was destroyed by the fire. The fire could have been much worse had it not been for the quick thinking of George Stockwell to empty the ammonia tanks and the boilers. The building for the Salina Ice Plant was originally a paper mill that was constructed in the early 1890s. In 1898, H.D. Lee and other stakeholders helped organize the Salina Ice and Cold Storage Co., which bought the building and transformed it into a cold storage plant. You can learn more about other notable fires from Salina’s past by visiting the Fire: Embers of Discovery exhibit.

Painting from Museum’s Collection, c 1901