The influence of St. Louis’ brewing industry has extended far beyond the boundaries of Gateway City. Lemp Brewery was the first American brewery to produce lager beer. In the second half 20th century, Anheuser–Busch became the largest US brewer. Both breweries were pioneers in refrigeration. They hired Theodore Krausch, an engineer and architect, to build the first cold storage warehouses for a beer in St. Louis. While smaller competitors were still hauling winter ice up the Mississippi River to their lagering cellars, Krausch was a well-known figure in the industry. Both Lemp and Anheuser-Busch needed ice to build their refrigerated railcars. They maintained a crucial business relationship with a small Illinois town that has been almost forgotten.
DePue was that small town. It is located on the Illinois River, where it turns southward through the prairie towards St. Louis. This is about 200 miles from its customers. The Illinois River isn’t as constrained as the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. This means that the river flows freely through the bottomlands, including Lake DePue. It lies between the town and the main Illinois River channel. The lake was discovered by a French missionary back in 1673. It became well-known for its clear water.
Captain Charles Stedman was a pioneer in the ice trade. He is a native of Suffolk, England, and immigrated first to Canada, then to the United States. He started his career as a sailor and eventually settled in Bureau County. There he worked with other early ice traders in Peru east of DePue. Stedman waited until spring to travel south to St. Louis, as the Illinois River had frozen over during the winter. This allowed him to establish a working relationship here with Hughes, Loomis, and Co. in 1858. His new relationship with Lemp Brewery is described in a history book that he wrote in 1885.
He started his current business in 1876 for William J. Lemp of the Western Brewery in St. Louis, Mo. They now have 14 barges, steamboats, etc., and a storage capacity of 50,000 tons. DePue spends approximately $27,000 annually on labor and repairs. All necessary equipment is available for the repair or construction of boats. During the winter, 300 people work on the barges. Each barge weighs in at 1,000 tons and on each trip to St. Louis Capt. Stedman travels on three barges and makes about one trip per week. Capt. Capt.
There was a lot of documentation about the ice harvesting operations that lined Lake DePue at the time. Later history books also included them. Although none of the ice houses and docks are still visible, photos of an older ice business, as well as Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, may give a glimpse into the operation. A Lemp souvenir book, published in Chicago for the Columbian Exposition, 1893, confirmed that the brewery had “privileges at DePue (IL), where its storage facilities can hold 50,000-ton capacity.” [iii]
Local history books also claim that the breweries built an additional ice house, with a capacity to hold 60,000 tons, and another one with a capacity to hold 40,000 tons. Each barge weighed 800-1400 tons and was brought to Lake DePue just before the winter freezes. The federal census showed that the population was only about 800 to 1400 tons each. They were brought to Lake DePue before winter froze the river.
William Lemp purchased at least one steamboat to transport the ice to St. Louis after it had been packed in the huge ice houses. The St. The St. For example, Joseph Fleming arrived at St. Louis with two ice scows. It left with two “empties” for the Lemp Brewery. Joseph Fleming returned to St. Louis on May 4, 1885, from Lake DePue. They unloaded three ice scows and then promptly left with five “empties” that were for Lake DePue. [vi]
The mysteriously destroyed Joseph Fleming, while it was towing ice barges on its busy runs, occurred at DePue wharf. [viii] The Polar Wave and Jack Frost also plied the same route in 1886 for the Lemp Ice Trade.
Lemp was marketing its DePue water rights and ice production capacity, but it was operating an artificial ice-producing facility at its brewery in St. Louis. Maybe DePue’s ice was saved and used for “premium” purposes. The mass-produced DePue ice is still visible in an illustration from the souvenir book. Their location close to the river supports the continuing importation of DePue-originated river barges. Despite this, photos and Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps only show the F. L. Powers & Co. Ice houses that remain near Lake DePue in the early 20th Century. The industry had changed.