The Ice Queen was built as an ice cream soda fountain and short-order café by Don Wernli and partners on the site of the former Irish and Warner grocery store, which had burned several years earlier. The hope was this unique café would be the pilot store of a new franchise. The Ice Queen was an early adoptee of a new, innovative concept for a restaurant of that era: a drive-thru window for direct car service. For comparison, McDonalds didn’t incorporate the drive-thru until 1975.
According to The Capital Journal July 19th,1950 edition: “The new and modern ice cream store will be built by the Ice Queen Corporation on a vacant lot on the corner of Main and Washington, it was announced by Jim Anderson who is with the company. The company has purchased the site from Jesse Jones Theaters.” Nothing can be found of the Ice Queen Corporation today, although drive-thru fast food restaurants are ubiquitous.
In 1952, the Ice Queen was still being marketed as a franchise pilot store, “a profitable, beautiful, well-located, splendidly equipped pilot store” for $5000, and was being operated by the same Jim Anderson.
The building has a shed roof with broad, boxed eaves. The interior had an L shaped counter with fixed, rotating stools. Walk in customers entered on the south side. There was a customer walk-up window on the west side facing Main, and the car drive up window remains on the north side. Large picture windows allowed customers to see the bustle of the intersection of Main and Washington Streets. The lower front elevation was clad with brick, which partially wrapped down either side of the building.
The Ice Queen was popular for cherry and chocolate Cokes. Fans today still recall their favorites, including orange and lime sherbet cones, banana splits, licorice ice cream, and foot-long chili dogs. In the mid-1950s and 1960s it was operated by Al and Pat Lindbeck.
In later years, from at least 1963 on, it was known as the Dallas Ice Queen. After the Dallas Ice Queen, it became Luker’s Ice Queen, Speedy San, DJ’s, CJ’s, and is now La Herradura, still retaining its signature drive-thru concept.
KEY REFERENCES:
- The Capitol Journal, July 19, 1950
- Oregon Statesman, September 2, 1951
- Oregon Statesman, April 27, 1952
- Dallas Dragon High School Yearbook, 1953
- Facebook Group Members, Forgotten Dallas Oregon 2025
- Dallas Downtown Historic District Inventory Narratives