Archives West Finding Aid

Charles A. Martinson was born in Sweden around 1876 and came to America as a small boy. He operated the Missoula Ice and Cold Storage Company in Missoula, Montana from 1921 until his death in 1938 at the age of 62. Two years prior to his death, Charles Martinson was severely injured after becoming caught in machinery at the ice plant and never fully recovered. His wife Freda E. Martinson and sons Jack and Karl helped run the company and continued its operation after Charles’ death. Charles A. Martinson and wife Freda Martinson also had a daughter, Jean Gies, married to Anthony Gies of Lewistown, Montana. Freda Martinson was born in 1883 and came to Missoula in 1900, where she resided most of her life. She was visiting Portland at the time of her death in 1958. Jack Martinson enlisted in the Air Force in 1941 and received his commission in 1943. He was a second lieutenant and co-pilot of a B-29 when he was killed during an air raid over Japan in 1945. Anthony Gies also served in the war as a medical technician and was awarded a Bronze Star and an Oak Leaf Cluster in 1945.

The Missoula Ice and Cold Storage Company was a retail and wholesale ice and cold storage company from 1921-1958. They supplied ice for ice boxes before more modern refrigerators were common in homes. Ice was cut in blocks from ponds in the Rattlesnake area north of Missoula and stored in sheds with sawdust during the warmer months. The company grew in technology and in 1940 they were able to quick-freeze 1,000 pounds of bread for future consumption by the Forest Service firefighters. This was a huge success because Missoula was experiencing a labor shortage at the time and bakers were unable to meet sudden demands of hundreds of pounds of bread. It was impossible to store bread for more than a day or two before it was discovered that bread kept very well frozen and thawed in good condition. The Missoula Ice Company and the Martinson family home were located on Front Street.