Way back in Wyoming’s history, blacksmiths were among the first businesses to open shop when homesteaders started settling different areas that would become the towns we know today. Through time, however, they were also among the businesses to close their doors as progress and technology crept across the state.
While there may be significantly fewer blacksmiths today than a century ago, you can find an ironworks shop here and there if you search hard enough. In fact, there’s an actual functioning blacksmith shop in the tiny town of Buffalo. Not only is it carrying on the tradition of creating and repairing metal works, but the owner and head blacksmith shares his knowledge and skill giving demonstrations and teaching others the secrets of his historic trade.
Arrowhead Forge at 47 North Lobban Avenue in Buffalo is one of the last real, working blacksmiths in Wyoming.
Sure, there are places where you can have items made out of metal, but they probably don't do things the way David Osmundsen of Arrowhead Forge does and has been doing them since 1976.
Many people associate blacksmiths with the work of shoeing horses and, while Osmundsen can create functional things like horse shoes, tools, and knives...
David enjoys sharing his knowledge and skill with others, too. He hosts open houses and takes his show on the road to perform demonstrations at museums and historical centers around the state.