Fonds 186 Sexsmith Blacksmith Shop fonds

Sexsmith Blacksmith Shop fonds. — 1900-1974. — 30 cm of textual records. — 26 cards.

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Biographical Sketch

After the subdivision of the Benville Townsite (later re-named Sexsmith) in 1916, one of the first commercial buildings to appear was the blacksmith shop. It was constructed and first operated by Dave Bozarth, who lived in the back with his family until 1920. He operated a livery barn and Massey-Harris agency as well.

In 1920, the Bozarths took in a young boarder named Nels Johnson, who had learned the blacksmith trade in his home country of Sweden. Johnson became the chief blacksmith and in 1927, the owner. He would continue to be the village blacksmith in that same shop until 1974, a period of 54 years.

Nels Johnson was born in Jantland, Sweden in 1890, and immigrated to Canada in 1909. In Canada he smithed for the Grand Trunk Railroad as it was being constructed to Edson, then set up shop in Edson. Here, a common task was shoeing the oxen which were taking settlers in to the Grande Prairie area over the Edson Trail. In 1914, he made his first of many trips over the trail. In 1920 he located permanently in Sexsmith, where he went into partnership with Dave Bozarth, and in 1930 married Charlotte Cook Burns, a widow with three children.

Being a “smitty” did not simply consist of sharpening plowshares, shoeing horses and repair work. If a part was not fixable, it had to be re-made, and Nels Johnson was a master at this. He also created works of art in his blacksmith shop.

In 1974 the shop was purchased by Wm. Shannon & Sons, who retained the structure and its equipment intact until 1986, when it was acquired by the Town of Sexsmith. By this time, its restoration had taken place under the auspices of the Sexsmith Museum Society, which continues to maintain and interpret it. The Sexsmith Blacksmith shop is the oldest building in the community.

Custodial History

The records were preserved by the Sexsmith Museum and deposited in Grande Prairie Regional Archives in 2004.

Scope and Content

The fonds consists of paper artifacts found in the Sexsmith Blacksmith Shop at the time it was restored in 1986. The artifacts include Legal documents; products advertising the shop and blacksmithing prices; customer records; financial records; templates, designs and procedures; catalogs, manuals and brochures showing materials and supplies; and personal records from the Johnson family.

Notes

Title based on the contents of the fonds.<

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