Blacksmith Shop

In the Old West, early transportation depended mainly on horses, mules, and oxen, which all needed shoes to protect their hooves, making the blacksmith an important figure. Beyond making animal shoes, blacksmiths sharpened plows, fashioned eating utensils, forged metal wagon parts, and made general repairs to farming equipment. Wagon trains in the 1800’s were especially fortunate to have a blacksmith along, because the wooden spokes of wagon wheels often contracted during climatic changes encountered while crossing the country, and without the needed repair skills of a blacksmith, entire wagons would be lost. When Knott’s began farming here in 1920, this blacksmith shop stood on a farm about a mile away and was already so old that moss was growing on the roof. It was moved here intact when Ghost Town began in 1940.

Buena Park, California · United States