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Show I 'age Might The Springville Herald - July 17, l!)S.r J. Thomas Wheeler Blacksmith Shop This week the Springville Historical Society has made available an interesting account of one of the early blacksmith shops in Springville. Many people will remember going there for various services through the years. At the turn of the century, the mode of travel and farm work was done with horses for power. Those horses needed metal shoes and J. Thomas Wheeler could supply the shoes and the necessary fittings. The blacksmith shop was built on the corner of 900 East and 200 North in 1902 by Joseph Thomas Wheeler, a year after he and Edith May Hutchinson Hut-chinson were married. Times were hard in the early 1900's and "Tom" as he was affectionately af-fectionately called, felt that he could help the farmer and cattlemen with shoeing their horses and fixing their farm equipment. Spring time was a particulary busy time when the tools and equipment needed repair for spring planting. Sometimes as many as 32 plow shares were sharpened in a day. All kinds of repairs needed on iron were done at Wheelers'. Branding irons became a specialty and wagon wheels became as good as new. As cars and mechanical farm equipment equip-ment came into use, the shop became a mechanical shop also. Many cars were parked around the shop for parts to be used for repair. The blacksmith shop was built of 1x10 rough lumber with a tin roof and a dirt floor in 1902. Horseshoes were hung over the double wide doors for good luck. The most important im-portant item was the forge which first had bellows that had to be operated by hand. Later this was electrified. The fire in the forge became so hot that the iron held in the coals could be made in different shapes. The large anvil and quenching quen-ching tank made of wood like a large tub was nearby. The forge was made of a piece of concrete with a fire box in the top lined with fire brick and a large chimney overhead for the smoke to escape. Coke was used in the forge to heat the iron so it could be bent enough to be put on the anvil and bent according ac-cording to the shape needed, usually 2000 degrees then quickly put into the quenching tub to cool and be tempered. There were rings of shoes of various sizes around the walls so that all sizes of horses hoofs could be properly fitted. Also in the shop was a large cement bin in the back of the shop that was used to tighten the rims of wagon wheels. Harnesses were also fixed and horse trailers built. One corner of the shop held a large bin of coke ready for use while round the walls hung all different sizes of tongs, hammmers, saws including unused materials hanging from nails and pegs and overhead on the rafters. Bins for the nuts, bolts and screws were also around the walls. Scyths, shovels and plow parts and even beehives were stored in the shop as Tom had fifty stands of bees and made the hives for them and in turn extracted the honey from a large separater he had made himself. In the shop was also a drill press to help make the work easier. In the spring, it was customary for many horses to be shod in a day as well as many plow sheers and points sharpened. Horse trailers and flatbed trailers were built. Many hours were spent doing all kinds of repair work for Springville City. Later an electric welder was added to Tom's many tools and he fixed many items that required welding. Buggy's as well as cars were repaired. This fix-it shop became a social center. Many people young and old would gather, spend time and visit while their equipment was being repaired. Some men like Cliff Hall came each day to visit and listen to the tales as he was too ill to work. People who were not too well would come and spend hours visiting with the people who had brought work to the blacksmith shop. Many hours were spent in the blacksmith shop with the Boy Scouts who found help with their merit badges. Many good stories were told as well as good advice given. Most of the Scouts were also able to get tailor made scout packs. Young children who visitedusually came away wearing a ring made from a horseshoe nail J. Thomas Wheeler had learned through the years how to repair most everything. Because the shop was built on the same property as Tom's home, services were available day and night. When dinner time came the people in the shop, whether relatives or townfolk, were invited to go up to the house for dinner. Tom's wife, Edith, never knowing from one day to the next how many people she would be feeding at dinner time. Everyone was always welcome at the shop as well as in their home. Some men would come and visit most of the day. There were many wonderful and lasting friendships built through the years. Heber Houtz, Amyot Cherrington, Bill Child, Lorenzo Weight, Arthur Finley, Tom Averett, Leon Harrison, Clifton Hall, Morris Averett, Rufus Averett, Arthur Boyer, Fred Averett, were just a few of the many, many people who came to have their farm equipment cared for. June 20, 1955 was the day J. Thomas Wheeler died and his reign as a blacksmith ended. After Tom died, Leonard E. Zobell took over the shop for a few years until his health wouldn't permit him working and the ground was sold to Robert Averett. The shop was dismantled and a duplex now stands on the property. One quick way to clean and shine chrome fixtures in the bathroom and kitchen is with a spray bottle filled with vinegar. Spray on a little and wipe away residue. MAIN SAW! Model CS-500 EVL Mocel CS-440 EVL 16 in. Bar, 3.1 Cu. In. 18 in Bart 2.7 Cu. In. Engine. Electronic Igni- Engine, Electronic Ignition, Igni-tion, Auto, oiling, great tion auto ojing value. Reg. $KpJ(fJ) Reg. M M $299.95 r OMAR INDUSTRIES Q Saw Chain Available to tit all chainsaws. Advanced technology assures tough, sharp cutters. Buy 2 at Reg. Price Get a third one off comparable com-parable value. FREE We are a Factory Service Dealer All saws come assembled, tested and ready to use OPEN 8 A.M. TO 5:30 P.M. 7 "our srros 6oW C (ARpenteR eed (8 1030 SOUTH STATE ST.-PKUVO (MasterCard) - L.. ' A VISA" e: J ti :ci - ii J; -V ;,.Ai ; ;flkyl lf - Above is the Tom Wheeler Blacksmith Shop as it appeared ap-peared after he had built it in 1902. It stood at the corner cor-ner of 900 East and 200 North and served the farmers and residents of Springville for fifty years. It evolved from a blacksmith shop to a repair shop and was the gathering place for many men of the area through the years. Pony League tournament two Pony League tournaments started this Monday, one in Springville and one in Richfield. They will ontinue throughout the week including Saturday. The Pony-East Pony-East All Star team will play here and the Pony West All-Star team are in Richfield to play. All games will be at 5:30 and 8:00 p.m. at the Pony League Diamond at the Memorial Park. Visiting teams for the tournament here in Springville have traveled from West Valley, Vernal, Roosevelt, Salt Lake and Tooele. Two All-Star teams were chosen from the Springville players this year because of the large amount of boys involved in the league and the amount of exceptional players. Both teams are expected to do well in their respective tournaments. It takes more than two tons of South African rock to produce less than an ounce of gold. I y j i y f - -...,y,,, - - ,...,,...,...,,,,x i.wMM&ix tmmmmssmfim Tom Wheeler is shown above in his blacksmith shop with a row of plow shares. The names of the owners can be seen written on each share. Many Boy Scouts earned their merit badge at this blacksmith shop and little children always left with a ring made of a horse shoe nail. Brads-haw selected Jamboree leader At the Lions Club meeting last week Chuck Porter, right, was honored as 'Mr. Lion for his outstanding service to the local club for so many years. A tribute was read for him by past lady president, Beth Johnson. Don Blanchard, center, was the toastmaster for the evening. On the right is Orval Lunceford who has received an eye cornea transplant after being blind in one eye for 36 years. The Lion's eye foundation provided the cornea cor-nea and transplantation. Mr. Lunceford is so thrilled to have 20-20 vision after being blind for so long. He lost his sight while working at the Ironton blast furnace. The next meeting will be July 25th at the Lions Fireplace. Kyle Bradshaw, 14-year old Life Scout son of Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Bradshaw of Springville, has been named Patrol Leader of the War Lords Patrol in Jamboree Troop 979, according to Jamboree Scoutmaster Rulon Dean Skinner. patrols in Jamboree Troop 979. The four patrols are: Mountain Men, Hawks, War Lords and Eagles. Each patrol has eight boys and is directed by a boy patrol leader and a boy assistant patrol leader. MERICAfJ MUFFLER STOCK MUFFLERS TUNE-UPS GLASS PACKS HEADERS CUSTOM PIPES BRAKES 489-7742 400 E. 400 S., , SPRINGVILLE, UTAH Kyle Bradshaw Kyle has 71 nights of camping to his credit of which 31 are nights of scout camping. His camping experience ex-perience includes a week at Camp Maple Dell Scout Camp. He attended Scout-A-Ramas in 1981, 1982, and 1983. He has participated in four Scout Merit Badge Powwows. In his scout troop he has served as a patrol leader and troop quartermaster. quar-termaster. He is in the 9th grade at Springville Jr. High School. His favorite classes are Math and Science. Kyle attended the Timberline Scout leadership training program for boys in 1984. He also holds the On My Honor religious award. Active in the LDS Church, he is a Teacher in the Aaronic Priesthood. He served as second counselor and first counselor in his Deacons Quorum. Talents include football, basketball, skiing, and piano. Hobbies are sports, camping, target shooting, fishing and programming computers. His favorite sports to participate in are football and basketball. His favorite sport to watch is football. Kyle is patrol leader of one of four 1 H4Buro A Chinese artist of the 1920's, Huang Erthan , painted designs on silk cloth using his tongue as a brush. The first woman to be admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court was Belva Ann Bennett Lock-wood Lock-wood in 1879. Her admittance was enabled by a Congressional action titled "an act to relieve certain legal disabilities of women." 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