Folks call me Tye. If you heard iron sing this morning, that was my hammer. In a young town, everything breaks sooner than you’d like — shoes wear thin, axles groan, hinges sag, and a man’s best knife turns dull right when he needs it most. My forge keeps folks moving.
I run the livery too — feed and water, clean stalls, keep tack serviceable, and rent a rig when the stock allows. Travelers leave a horse with me and a story by the hay. I take both, and I send them back out with good work under ’em and a little more confidence than they came in with.
Responsibilities
In a frontier town, “repair” isn’t a service — it’s survival. I keep horses sound, wagons rolling, and tools working so farmers, freighters, and families can do what they came here to do.
- Farrier work: trim, shape, fit, and nail shoes for saddle & draft horses
- Forge work: hinges, nails, hooks, chains, drawknives, and field tools
- Wagon repairs: tires, rims, axles, doubletrees, singletrees, and hardware
- Emergency work: trail damage jumps the line — people get stranded fast
Blacksmith Skills
Most folks see sparks and think it’s brute strength. Real blacksmithing is control — knowing heat, timing, and how metal wants to move before you strike it.
- Drawing & shaping: stretch iron, bend it true, and keep it square
- Punching & drifting: clean holes for bolts, rivets, and fittings
- Riveting: tight joints that don’t loosen under hard miles
- Heat-treating: harden and temper tool steel so it holds an edge
Shop & Tools
A good shop is laid out like a mind that plans ahead — every tool has a place, and every place is built for speed. When a team is waiting in the street, you don’t go hunting for tongs.
- Anvil, forge, bellows, slack tub & quench tub
- Hammers, tongs, fullers, punches, chisels
- Swage block, vise, hardy tools, and shoeing kit
- Stock for repairs: bar iron, nails, bolts, and scrap worth saving
Livery Work
The livery is half stable, half safety net. Travelers need a clean stall, fresh water, feed that won’t sour, and a man who’ll notice when a horse is off before it turns bad.
- Boarding: by day or week — hay, grain, water, and care
- Stall work: cleaning, bedding, and keeping things dry when weather turns
- Tack & harness: mending straps, replacing rivets, fixing buckles
- Rentals: buggy or wagon when stock and conditions allow
Who Depends on Me
I’m connected to nearly everyone — because nearly everyone rides, hauls, farms, freights, or travels. When the forge goes quiet for too long, the whole town starts to feel it.
- Farmers needing plow fixes, harrow teeth, and repairs before planting
- Freighters and teamsters with broken chains, tired shoes, and wagon damage
- Stage and river outfits needing fast, dependable work
- Newcomers needing honest advice before they spend money they can’t spare
Shop Rules
These rules aren’t there to sound tough. They keep people safe and keep work honest. Iron doesn’t forgive foolishness, and neither do nervous horses.
- Mind the sparks: keep children back and aisles clear
- Calm horses only: we settle a horse before we nail a shoe
- Trail damage first: a broken axle can strand a family overnight
- Payment: cash is best; fair barter is welcomed
“If it bends, I’ll straighten it. If it breaks, I’ll make it better.”
Where Bismarck comes to get fixed
On a busy day, my street sounds like a whole orchestra — hoofbeats, wheel rims on hard dirt, harness creaking, men calling out, and my hammer ringing over it all. Folks don’t come to a blacksmith shop to admire it. They come because something needs doing right now.
Inside the forge, heat is my calendar. You judge the day by the coal, the bellows, and the color of metal — dull red, bright orange, yellow-white when you have to move fast. Outside, the livery stays steady: water buckets filled, feed measured, stalls cleaned, and a watchful eye on every horse that comes in sweating or stiff.
And the best part? When a neighbor rides off with a sound shoe, or a wagon leaves straight and tight, you can feel the whole town breathe easier. Out here, “fixed” isn’t a luxury. It’s the difference between making it home before dark… and not.
