Freeze-Up & Break Up

Transportation to Red Lake was heavily reliant on the
weather. Two times each year, Red Lake was completely
inaccessible. No one could travel to or from Red Lake during break-up (when the ice was thawing in spring) or freeze-up (when the ice was freezing at the beginning of winter). Break-up and freeze-up were dangerous times to travel as all early methods of travel depended on the lakes.

At the beginning of freeze-up, there was a period when the ice was too thin to hold a person. When the ice starts to freeze, people took measurements of the ice thickness. The ice needed to be 7.5–10 cm (3–4 inches) thick for a person to walk on it without falling through. Heavy dog sleds, snowmobiles and planes needed to make sure that the ice was thick enough to withstand their weight before travel began. Tractor trains used to transport freight in the winter had the longest to wait as their cargo often weighed several tonnes. Depending on the weather conditions the lakes and rivers could take 1 to 2 weeks (or longer) to freeze to traversable depths. Clear blue ice was the best to travel on, while slushy ice was not as safe.

After the ice is very thick, it is still necessary to be careful.
Moving too fast on the ice can cause it to crack. It is critical to move at a steady pace while moving across the frozen lakes. The currents underneath the ice could also cause the ice to be thinner. Even though the ice is often thick in the height of winter, people needed and still need to be careful. It is always important that people can escape whatever type of transportation they are using while crossing over the ice.

Ice breaker on Howey Bay, 1938

Charlie Peterson business card
Quick Freeze service boats for hire

PILOT TED STULL; Part of Liquor supply
for the freeze-up period
via Western Canada Airways
RED LAKE, 1929

First Plane after Breakup, May 1931

During break-up, the ice is even more unpredictable. The
weather may be warm for a short period and start to melt the ice, but then a cold front could move in, freezing the ice once again. People used to the dangers of crossing the lakes and rivers during break-up take precautions. Single travelers may take canoes so they can fall/jump in if the ice breaks. In the 1930s and 1940s, shipping companies had to predict when the tractors should stop travelling on the ice. The companies would then have to wait until the lakes and rivers were mainly thawed so that water transport could begin. Before the highways and airport, people living in Red Lake sometimes had to wait for 2 to 3 weeks until supplies were able to be delivered during break-up. In the spring of 1945, break-up lasted a very long time, and planes had to fly over Red Lake and drop food out by parachute.