Polaris, California facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Polaris
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 Polaris
Location in California
Polaris
Location in the United States
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  California |
| County | Nevada County |
| Elevation | 5,695 ft (1,736 m) |
Polaris was a small, old community in California. It was known for 'ice farming' a long time ago. You can find where it used to be about 3 miles east of Truckee. It's near where Glenshire Drive and Quail Lane meet today.
Contents
History of Polaris
How Polaris Got Its Name
Polaris got its name from Polaris, which is also called the North Star. It's thought that the Central Pacific Railroad named it in 1867. Or, maybe the National Ice Company named it in 1901 when they hoped to open a post office there.
Early Ice Harvesting
Polaris was high up, about 5,695 feet above sea level. This meant it got very cold, and there was lots of ice in winter. After the Transcontinental Railroad was built, people started making ice ponds. They often used water from the Truckee River. Ice harvesting began nearby in 1868.
The Ice Companies
In 1886, a group of business people started the Tahoe Ice Company. They built a 75-foot dam to create a huge 80-acre pond for making ice. They also built roads, stables, and a large warehouse. This warehouse was 290 feet long and 130 feet wide. It was known as the best ice harvesting place on the Truckee River.
In 1901, a bigger company, the National Ice Company, took over. They put D. M. Dysart in charge. People called Dysart the "Ice King of the Sierras" because he had worked with ice for over 20 years. He made the Polaris operation even bigger. He also built a house there, which people called the Pink Palace. It had pink roof shingles. After he passed away in 1905, Robert Koepke took over and ran the ice business until the 1920s.
How Ice Was Harvested
The ice at Polaris was often more than 12 inches thick in winter. Workers usually harvested between 13,000 and 16,000 tons of ice. This ice was packed with sawdust to keep it cold. Then, it was shipped by train all over the country. It was used in iceboxes and to keep fruit fresh during shipping.
Hundreds of men and many horses worked during the ice harvest. This work was mostly seasonal. It started around mid-November and usually finished by early February. For a while, Polaris was also a place where fruit was packed with ice in the summer. But later, this packing moved to Truckee and then to Sparks, Nevada.
Life in the Community
Polaris was a small town. It had homes and places for the seasonal workers to stay. There was also a blacksmith shop. However, there are no records of a store, a saloon, or a hotel. Children from Polaris went to school in Truckee.
In 1901, D. M. Dysart asked to open a post office in Polaris. He said 35 people lived there in the summer and 150 in the winter. Dysart was the first postmaster. Robert Koepke became the postmaster in 1913. Polaris also had a telephone line connecting it to Truckee.
The End of the Ice Era
By 1923, the ice industry changed a lot. New machines could make ice, and trains had refrigerated cars. This meant people didn't need natural ice anymore. The post office in Polaris closed that same year.
Today, the area around Polaris is used for fun activities. People go fishing, camping, and ice skating there. You can still see the old ice pond, but most of the ice harvesting buildings are gone.
