Chauncey Webb’s family owned this blacksmith shop where they provided all of the iron necessary for a growing town. This became especially important as the Saints were building wagons to head west. A wainwright is a wagon maker and a wheelwright specializes in making wheels for the wagons. The blacksmith kept busy firing all the iron parts for the wagon and wheels. When Nauvoo was at its height, there were 48 blacksmiths. Chauncey Webb built Brigham Young’s wagon for the trek west. The missionaries showed us the process of wheel making and horseshoe making. It was interesting to see the differences in the types of shoes for horses and oxen, as well as the way the iron was melted onto the wooden wheel. After the demonstration, we got a prairie diamond—a ring made out of a horseshoe nail.
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