craft in the area was facing difficulties. The same automobiles that constituted such a good business opportunity for basket makers were disrupting the blacksmithing trade. The disappearance of horse-drawn vehicles and wooden wagons meant a sudden drop in business: no horseshoes to make, no saddle and bridle fittings to repair, no rims for wooden wheels to fit. Across the country, artisans made a difficult transition, turning their forges into auto body shops—a transition memorably captured in Buster Keaton’s 1922 short film The Blacksmith.
