BLACKSMITH SHOP
Horsepower Depended on Billy Liberty's Forge

Just as auto repair shops keep our cars on the road, Billy Liberty's blacksmith shop kept horses shod and wagons running. He worked the bellows of a fiery forge and artfully shaped red-hot iron on his anvil. If you walked inside sometime after 1898, you'd see horseshoes of all sizes hanging on the wall and a stall for two horses. A tub of water stood handy by the forge. Liberty also sharpened picks for the miners and forged common household items. The smithy rivaled Davey's store as the town's linchpin.

A Stage Driver And A Gentleman
If you didn't find Billy Liberty sweating at the forge, you might find him in a buffalo -hide coat driving the stage to Bearmouth. Then again, you might see him in a suit and tie dining at the Wells hotel. Liberty ran the stage line for Frank Davey in the 1920s. Blacksmith, stage driver and gentleman, Billy Liberty left his mark on Garnet before eventually retiring to Missoula.


Other Stories
Gold In The Garnets
Chinese Presence
Town of Garnet Named in 1897
Family Living in a Gold Mining Town?
Riches Fade
Saving Garnet Ghost Town
Kelly's Saloon
J. K. Wells Hotel
Davey's General Store
Ole's Tavern
Dahl Cabin
Garnet School
Jail
Miners Union Hall
Adams House
Honeymoon Cabin
Warren Park
Highlights from interview with Mary Jane Morin, June 11, 1999
Letter from Hills Bros. Coffee to Mrs. Adams


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Copyright © 2000, Garnet Preservation Association and Bureau of Land Management of Montana