Blacksmith Shop

The marker is located along the walkway (left), directly in front of the blacksmith shop.

Hay rakes, sickle blades, and other mechanical apparatus for haying on high country ranches were often repaired by the local blacksmith. The grinding stone in this shop likely sharpened many a rancher’s sickle blades.
As a farrier too, a blacksmith usually kept equipment on hand to shoe horses. The equipment here includes a horseshoe rasp, puller, nails and other tools to shoe horses. Notice the cleats, which are removable and designed to give horses better traction in slippery conditions.

Rural blacksmiths in the 19th century provided services to nearly all aspects of rural economies. From agricultural equipment repair to wagon tires to simple farrier work, a local smith was indispensable to local businesses.
In Grand County, blacksmiths repaired wagon tires for the stagecoaches and wagons that crossed the rocky heights of Berthoud and Rollins Passes or for ranch wagons that hauled hay and game locally. In addition to that important task, Grand County smiths repaired haying equipment, forged branding irons and built sleds, wagons and tools.

From 1881 until 1916, Solomon Jones was the local blacksmith in Hot Sulphur Springs. Mr. Jones and his family grew and prospered in Grand County. By the time of his death in 1916, Solomon Jones had been the local smith for over three decades.
During the 20th century, Dan Hoare became a trusted smith in Kremmling, west of Hot Sulphur Springs. Dan Hoare operated his shop long after the art of blacksmithing was fading from communities throughout the United States. While some things changed between Sol Jones' and Dan Hoare's eras, many of the tools that you see here, made by Dan Hoare in the 20th century, would have been used well back in the 19th century. Dan Hoare lived in Kremmling, Colorado, until his death in 1980.