Blacksmith & Machine Shop

Farm and ranch work have always been hard on machinery, making frequent repairs necessary. Throughout Sahuaro Ranch's history, most of these repairs were made here by the ranch's own employees.

This building, which is believed to have been erected in the 1890s, started as a blacksmith shop. The blacksmith, who was one of the ranch's most valuable employees, repaired and sometimes made tools, farm implements, and wagon parts. He also was responsible for fitting and nailing horseshoes on the ranch's horses and mules.

Starting in the 1920s, the ranch began using trucks and other mechanized farm equipment. This led to the installation of tools and machines suited for working on internal combustion vehicles and modern farm implements. Some of these shop machines were powered by canvas belts turned by an overhead drive shaft, which can still be seen above the concrete slab on the right side of the shop.

On the Ranch Today

The Blacksmith and Machine Shop have been replicated because of a fire loss in 2017. Quite a few pieces of blacksmithing tools remain on the property today.