Blacksmith

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The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) viewed each of its forts as a small factory that would not only provide items for trade, but also for the individual requirements of fort employees. The long distance and time required to haul supplies and trade goods from Great Britain, as well as the expense involved, led the Company to employ craftsmen to manufacture required iron objects. The Blacksmith Shop was a busy place during workdays at the fort, with blacksmiths working on four separate forges to manufacture or repair a large variety of iron goods, including axes, beaver traps, window hardware, plows, and more.

Volunteers are absolutely essential to the visitor experience at the park’s reconstructed Blacksmith Shop. It is through their interpretive presentations and cultural demonstrations that visitors can come to understand the roles of the fort's skilled laborers, the work they performed, and how their work contributed to the operation of Fort Vancouver and the HBC in the Pacific Northwest.

The primary goal of a blacksmith volunteer’s work is to help visitors understand the people and function of the fort's Blacksmith Shop, its connection to the Hudson's Bay Company's Fort Vancouver, and the role the shop played within the greater Columbia Department of the Hudson’s Bay Company. A secondary role of the Blacksmith Shop is to provide period-correct ironwork for the fort, as well as other National Historic Sites, on an as-needed basis.

Start Date - 2024-10-01

End Date - 2025-09-30