Tools of the Trade: Equipping the Snohomish Valley
A look at the essential machinery and blacksmithing services that powered the growth of Snohomish's logging and agricultural industries in the late 19th century.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Farmers will bear in mind that in order to get one of the Improved Horse Hay Forks, they must leave their orders in time. All tools used in logging camps made to order, and as cheap as can be got on the Sound. Wm. H. Ward, Blacksmith. One door west of the Snohomish Exchange, Snohomish City, W. T.
“All tools used in logging camps made to order, and as cheap as can be got on the Sound.”
While the 'Improved Horse Hay Fork' is long obsolete, the blacksmith shop represented the essential infrastructure of early Snohomish. Today's local economy echoes this past, as Snohomish continues to balance its historic identity as a service hub for the surrounding agricultural and timber-rich lands with modern retail needs.
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