One of the important occupations in the pioneer villages and towns of the American west was the blacksmith. The blacksmith did more than make horseshoes and fashioned most of the metal items that people needed from hinges and hangers to gates and metal poles. Blacksmiths also repaired many items. Many historical museums feature exhibits of blacksmith shops. A few of these are shown below.
Ohio Village, Ohio History Center, Columbus, Ohio
Pioneer Village, Cashmere, Washington
Fort Vancouver, Vancouver, Washington
The blacksmith shop at Fort Vancouver has volunteer blacksmiths who demonstrate how to make some of the historic items.
Fort Steele Heritage Village, British Columbia
One of the buildings in the Fort Steele Heritage Village is the Blacksmith Shop. In this shop, blacksmiths demonstrate their skills. According to the display:
“Almost everyone relied on the blacksmith for something: tradesmen for their iron/steel tools to work their trade, farmers for their tools and shoes for their horses, townsfolk for general commodities and fittings for wagons, and of course everyone used nails for something somewhere. A blacksmith was always important, for the world was built on iron, and they are the ones who shape it.”
Sherman County Historical Museum, Moro, Oregon
According to the display:
“The blacksmith’s ability to form something of steel was limited only by his experience, imagination and desire.
He used a forge with a blower, a high grade blacksmith coal, hammers and tongs of many shapes, an anvil with a variety of hardies with which to cut and shape metal, and a quenching vat of water. Heated to red hot in the forge, steel was cut by using the hardie, the small object inserted in the opening of the anvil, or cutting tools with handles.”
Nevada City Living History Museum, Nevada City, Montana
Miracle of America Museum, Polson, Montana
White River Valley Museum, Auburn, Washington
Old Fort Benton, Fort Benton, Montana
Shown above is the blacksmith shop at the fort. This was an important part of the fort during the fur trade era as many tools, including axes and traps, were manufactured here.
Shown above is a tool display at the blacksmith shop at the fort.
World Museum of Mining, Butte, Montana
More museum exhibits
Museums 201/301/401 presents similar exhibits from several museums.
Museums 301: Caboose (photo diary)
Museums 201: Hand cranked telephones (photo diary)
Museums 401: Gas stations and garages (photo diary)
Museums 401: Sewing machines (photo diary)
Museums 301: Women's Sidesaddles (photo diary)
Museums 301: Quilts (photo diary)
Museums 401: Wood-fired kitchen ranges (photo diary)
Museums 301: Upright pianos (photo diary)