By Warren Miller
In early Prescott the village smithy may not have stood under a spreading Chestnut tree, but his presence was vital to all building and commerce. The blacksmith's hand-forged iron was critically important on the frontier and in Territorial Arizona, where manufactured goods were difficult to obtain and expensive, and often unavailable at any price without the lengthy wait required for orders to travel to and goods be shipped from the manufacturing eastern states. The ability to make iron tools, implements, utensils and hardware, from wagon fittings to door latches to harness fastenings, on the spot and using available materials, aided the advance of civilization.
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