Brinton's Blacksmith Shop

At an early valley crossroads in 1851 or 1852, 36-year-old David Brinton established Holladay's first business enterprise, a blacksmith shop, and the area became known as Brinton's Corner. Brinton's house stood north of Big Cottonwood Creek, which today is rerouted farther south, leaving ample room for his shop, horses, carriages, and customers. In the 19th century, a town's blacksmith was an important resident who drew clients from miles away by making or repairing wagon wheels, axes, metal tools, plows, chains, hinges, sleigh runners, and horseshoes. Blacksmiths often shaped or welded iron by heating an inch-wide iron rod in a forge and forcing air into the fire from a bellows to raise the temperature. When the rod was red- or white-hot, the blacksmith removed it with tongs, placed it on an anvil, pounded the softened metal into shape, and dipped it into cold water so the new form would hold. Children especially liked to watch blacksmiths shoe horses by holding up the horse's foot, cleaning and shaping the nerveless hoof with rasps and knives, then custom fitting and nailing on a new U-shaped horseshoe.

Holladay, Utah · United States