Discover historic wagon making and blacksmithing techniques, skills that enabled the early Saints to transport their belongings on the trek west.
The Blacksmith Shop was owned and operated by the five Webb brothers, who moved to Nauvoo between 1841 and 1842.
As the Saints faced relentless persecution in 1846, the leaders of the Church advised the Saints to go west rather than retaliate. The wagon shop played an increasingly important role in the community as the Saints prepared to travel west. Natural wood seasoning, necessary for strong wagons, usually took two years, but the Saints did not have time to wait! During the tour you will learn what they did to get the wagons ready in record time.
The Webb brothers remained in Nauvoo to build wagons for others and therefore were among the last of the Saints to leave the city for the Rocky Mountains, departing in September 1846.
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