The Icebox of America

Many know International Falls, Minn., as the "Icebox of America". However, it hasn’t always had full claim to the title.

The trademark for the slogan has been challenged on several occasions by the small town of Fraser, Colo. Officials from Fraser claimed usage since 1956, International Falls since 1948. The two towns came to an agreement in 1986, when International Falls paid Fraser $2,000 to relinquish its "official" claim. However, in 1996, International Falls inadvertently failed to renew its federal trademark. After several years of legal battles, the United States Patent and Trademark Office officially registered the slogan with International Falls on Jan. 29, 2008.

Only a few days after announcing its success in the trademark battle, International Falls had a daily record low temperature of −40°F, beating the previous record of −37°F from 1967.

Subzero cold has been observed as early as Nov. 2 and as late as April 7. There was once a freeze the week after July 4th and as early as Aug. 20. In an average year, 197 days have a freeze! Their average annual temperature is 37.8 degrees. They average 58 days a year below zero.