Experimental creep data on model cylindrical retaining structures formed from two frozen soils, saturated Ottawa sand and Ontonagon (Sault Ste. Marie) clay, are presented. The sand–ice behavior in the model barrier is analyzed using a constitutive relationship which includes the state of stress, state of strain, time, and temperature. Displacement rates at the inner wall surface calculated according to the creep relationship agree with measured rates for properly chosen values of a parameter which modifies the contribution of the deviatoric stress component to the creep rate.The axial force observed at the sample ends provided information as to the soil–ice behavior during primary and secondary creep. For the sand–ice material this axial force did not reach its final value until steady-state creep was approximated. This indicates that Poisson's ratio may change depending on the stage or development of the creep deformations. This behavior was not observed for the frozen clay. The stress – strain – time behavior for the two soils differed considerably due to the greater amounts of unfrozen water in the frozen clay (about 50 %) as compared with the saturated Ottawa sand (little or none).