By Bob Baker
Blacksmith shops were a common sight in western frontier towns and were part of the economic fiber of these early communities. Blacksmiths would use the metal from broken or worn-out metal tools, hinges, horseshoes and wagon parts as source metal for new pieces, saving on the cost of new metals. They were the only ready source of horseshoes, nails, and metal items for wagons and households. In 1870 there were only two blacksmith shops in Prescott, Arizona Territory. By 1877 that number had risen to eight shops. Blacksmiths were needed to serve horses, horse-drawn vehicles and to fabricate metal fixtures. In the 1870s, they earned from $4.00 to $6.00 a day, equivalent to $117 to $175 in today’s currency.
The blacksmiths regularly advertised their shops in the Weekly Journal-Miner, the town’s newspaper. On November 25, 1871, J.E.G Mitchell announced, “The largest, most complete Wagon and Blacksmith Shops in Northern Arizona on Granite Street, Prescott.” On November 26, 1875, W.L. Hemphill advertised “Blacksmithing, wagon and carriage making and repairing, on Granite Street.” Perhaps John Hartin’s advertisement on June 16, 1876 exemplifies the breadth of blacksmithing by ending his announcement with “Etc., Etc., Etc.”
At the time, blacksmithing was seen as solely and surely a masculine occupation. One can easily picture the muscular blacksmith stoking his forge and pounding metal. It’s no wonder customers who entered Harry B. White’s blacksmith shop in Prescott in 1904 were befuddled to see Mollie White pounding iron. Mollie frequently worked in her husband’s shop on South Montezuma Street. She ran the forge and bellows and made horseshoes, nails and all types of metal items.
On January 22, 1905, she was highlighted in an article entitled “Arizona’s Woman Blacksmith” in the Los Angeles Herald newspaper. She explained that she learned the blacksmith trade by watching her husband, Harry B. White. Prior to arriving in Prescott, they had lived in Colorado where she watched her husband work in his blacksmith shop. Little by little, she began doing tasks that a blacksmith’s helper would do. She pumped the bellows and learned to use the tools of the trade. Soon she could swing the sledge on the anvil to reshape iron, making horseshoes, hinges and other metal items. She also could shoe horses, unbolt and re-bolt wagon tires and shape hoops for wagon wheels. Her husband, at times, helped her with the heavy work. The newspaper speculated that she might be the only female blacksmith in Arizona Territory. The article went on to describe Mollie as “a comely woman, less than middle age, clearly possessed of superb health and of strength that come from healthful exercise.”
Based on information in the Weekly Journal-Miner, H.B. White operated a blacksmith shop on South Montezuma Street from April 1904 until sometime in September 1906. On April 20, 1904, the newspaper reported “the sale of building 20 on lot 6, in Prescott and blacksmith tools to H.B. White for $100”. On Sept 12, 1906, the newspaper reported that H.B. White had sold the building and blacksmith tools. On October 3, 1906, S.B. Arnold advertised his blacksmith shop as the successor to H.B. White on South Montezuma Street.
U.S. voter registration records reveal that H.B. White resided with his wife Mollie in Prescott from July 30, 1904, until at least June 8, 1906. By 1910 Mollie and her husband were residing in Mayer. According to U.S. census records, Mollie worked as a hotel worker, and her husband owned and operated a blacksmith shop.
Little wonder that Mollie was seen as one of the new women who worked in what was viewed as a singularly masculine occupation. She might well have been the first woman blacksmith in the Arizona Territory!
“Days Past” is a collaborative project of the Sharlot Hall Museum and the Prescott Corral of Westerners International (www.prescottcorral.org). This and other Days Past articles are also available at www.archives.sharlothallmuseum.org/articles/days-past-articles/1. The public is encouraged to submit proposed articles and inquiries to dayspast@sharlothallmuseum.org Please contact SHM Research Center reference desk at 928-277-2003, or via email at archivesrequest@sharlothallmuseum.org for information or assistance with photo requests.