The blacksmith of old
Under a spreading chestnuttree The village smithy stands; The smith, a mighty man is he, With large and sinewy hands; And the muscles of his brawny arms
Are strong as iron bands.
His hair is crisp, and black, and long, His face is like the tan; His brow is wet with honest sweat, He earns whate’er he can, And looks the whole world in the face,
For he owes not any man.
— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The blacksmith’s profession is one of heat, fire, red-hot iron, a ringing anvil, and of course, a hefty hammer. When horses were the primary power source for a community, and wagons were the most common method of transporting people and goods, most villages had a blacksmith shop.
The horses needed iron shoes on their feet to endure the daily pounding their hooves received. There were no ready-made horseshoes at that time, so a blacksmith turned to his forge and made a shoe out of a piece of iron. Often the blacksmith was also the person who prepared the horse’s feet, and nailed the shoe to the hoof, known as a farrier.
A horse owner brought his stock to the blacksmith on as regular a schedule as one might take a car in for servicing today. When the horses left the shop, their feet were trimmed, they were freshly shod, and ready to work for another few weeks. That visit to the blacksmith was a little like the process of changing the oil and a tune-up is today. It kept an important part of the economy working properly.
But the village smithy was much more than a person who made horseshoes, and nailed them on the horses. He made almost anything made of metal that was needed for the wagons. There were very few ready-made parts available.
Anytime a metal part was used, there was the potential for breakage. When something metal broke, it was up to the smithy to repair the part, or build an entirely new one. Whether it was to replace a broken piece, or to be installed and used on a new wagon, it was up to the blacksmith to create it in his forge and on his anvil.
A good smith even made chains for all manner of applications, from hauling logs to the tugs on the harness the horse used to pull a wagon. There were very few ready-made chains available. Metal was heated and formed into a loop, then the ends were bent to touch, heated white hot, and actually welded together by pounding the two ends on the anvil. Done right, these welds were as strong as anything welded today. They might not be as pretty or uniform, but they worked.
With wagons and buggies of every size and description being used on a daily basis, each with wood-spoke and metal bands on the wheels. There created the need for a wheelwright to repair or refurbish the wood-spoke and metal bands on the wheels. Replacing broken spokes, or replacing and refitting the metal rims required specialized skills.
And if an entirely new wagon were needed, a wainwright was the man to do that. He would also repair and refurbish wagons and buggies in need of attention.
If all this sounds interesting, or triggers some memories, plan on going to the Springville Historical Museum on Saturday, April 21 anytime between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. They are presenting “A Day of Blacksmithing” on the museum grounds, and will have several blacksmiths and farriers displaying their frontier life skills.
Mark Asperry is a Master Blacksmith, and a nationally known author. Mark is teaching two blacksmith classes, from 9 a.m. to noon, and 1 to 4 p.m., but at this time both classes are already full.
James Allphin is also a blacksmith and woodworker. He will be demonstrating the art of handforged and crafted knives.
Bill Melton, wainwright and blacksmith will be demonstrating the secrets involved in wagon and buggy construction.
Walt Neel is a well-known Central California farrier and blacksmith, and will be demonstrating the skill of horseshoe work.
And finally, Clint Woods, also a Central Valley farrier and blacksmith will be demonstrating the making of horse shoes.
If you have any questions about this day of history, you may call Betty Harding at 539-6314.
The Springville Historical Museum grounds can be reached by entering the main gate of the Springville Rodeo Grounds, bear to the right, and follow the signs. There will be ample free parking, and there is no entry fee. If you need the address to put into your GPS, it is: 34902 Highway 190, Springville, CA 93265.
Brent Gill lives in Springville. His “Daunt to Dillonwood” column appears regularly in The Porterville Recorder through the generosity of Weisenberger’s Hardware on West Olive in Porterville. If you enjoyed this column, follow his blog at http://brentgwriter.blogspot.com.