Montezuma Pond

A beautiful pond located just beneath a steep, gorgeous mountainside. The pond was once a key location for Ice production throughout the entire southwest. In the past, people did not have refrigerators to store and make ice. Instead, they used ice chests, ice boxes or what is now known as coolers with ice to keep food cool and fresh.

A company made a dam in the river which then led to sending water to homes and fire hydrants in Las Vegas. The railroad later arrived in the 1800s and built a track from Las Vegas to Montezuma Castle. The pond froze allowing hundreds of men to become employed in ice cutting.

​Montezuma was not only an ice production pond but also known for ice skating during its winter months. Deposition of sediment in the pond has rendered it more shallow. One result of this is that the pond no longer freezes in the winter.

With no ice and no ice skating, the pond became a place for youth to hang out at night. They parked along the side meeting up and star watching until the late 90s. Now people mostly fish and use the landscape for photographs during summer months.

Funding has been secured to dredge the Montezuma Pond and restore it to its original state. The city is pursuing a permit with the Army Corps of Engineers, and work on the pond is expected to commence in the near future.