Watch a Blacksmith Work at Fort Vancouver

At Fort Vancouver, you can watch a 19th century demonstration of blacksmithing skills.

Photo: Doug Fischer

At Fort Vancouver, you can watch a blacksmith work, just as they would have in the 1800s!

In an age when virtually everything needed by man can be had, ready-made from store or factory, it is somewhat difficult to imagine the need for and reliance on the blacksmith by communities of 150 to 200 hundred years ago.
 

To our ancestors the blacksmith combined the work of the welding shop, the service station, and the hardware store in one man. Every community had need of a good blacksmith and Fort Vancouver was no exception, employing at least four at any one time.

 

To assess the full worth and standing of the blacksmith in early communities one has only to examine the character of the items he made, and the way in which he met the problems connected with each. Virtually every article for home or farm that could not be formed of wood was the province of the blacksmith. Look around your own home today and try to imagine the blacksmith making all the iron or steel items, both mechanical and non-mechanical that you see.
 

You can observe the important work of the historic blacksmith by visiting the ongoing demonstrations in the blacksmith shop. Here, you can observe staff and volunteers manufacturing historic accurate tools and hardware from iron. Blacksmith demonstrations are volunteer based. To check if there are blacksmith demonstrations on the day of your visit, call the Fort Vancouver Contact Station at [phone] on the morning of your visit.

Learn more about the Blacksmith Shop at Fort Vancouver here.

Details

Duration

5-30 Minutes

Activity

Living History

Pets Allowed

No

Pets are not allowed inside the reconstructed Fort Vancouver.

Activity Fee

Yes

Entrance fees to the reconstructed fort can be paid at the Contact Station just inside the fort gates. Learn more about fees and passes here.

Location

The Fort Vancouver Blacksmith Shop

Once inside the stockade of the reconstructed Fort Vancouver, follow the paths to the southeast corner of the stockade. A national park ranger at the Contact Station just inside the fort gates can help direct you.

Reservations

No

Season

Year Round

Time of Day

Day

Blacksmithing demonstrations are provided when volunteers are present. Please call [phone] to find out if there will be a demonstration on the day of your visit.

Accessibility Information

The Blacksmith Shop is wheelchair accessible. The trails leading to the Blacksmith Shop are made of decomposed granite; the path inside the Blacksmith Shop is gravel. Please be aware of bumps and dips at the entrances to the building. The Blacksmith Shop is often low lit and can be dark, especially on cloudy days. Please watch your step and give yourself time to adjust to the low light.