Carter Boehm is a Montana entrepreneur who leads Ponderosa Films and the 500-acre Yellowstone Film Ranch. The property helps Carter Boehm offers a backdrop of 28 historically accurate buildings typical of the American West. One vital aspect of 19th-century frontier communities was the blacksmith, who forged objects from iron.
Before mass manufacturing, blacksmiths fulfilled local community needs by making items such as nails and horseshoes. Some people know the iconic image of muscular men in sleeveless vests, hammering a piece of metal turned red hot by the flames of the forge.
By the early 1900s, the blacksmithing profession was on the wane, as railroads allowed timely delivery of items ordered through catalogs and mass production. However, the profession never died out completely. During the Great Depression, it saw a significant revival since families with limited funds needed items repaired instead of replacing them, particularly in remote agricultural areas. Ranch hands and cowboys relearned smithing to repair tools and tractor and truck parts.
