One by one, the historic floor boards were lifted up and meticulously numbered. Workers took great care to remove the tin roof to reveal materi- als nearly a hundred years old. The original J.M. Wilbur Co. Blacksmith Shop was beginning to deteriorate, along with its foundation built mostly of large stones. Blacksmith Shop a Hot Spot of History The History Behind Ragnar Forge Written and Photographed By Brian Nicholson hinges, plows, bobsleds, horseshoes and all other types of creations. But in 1971, Glenn Wilbur was the only blacksmith shop still open. That’s when he hung up his leather apron and closed his doors. The building remained just as Glenn Wilbur had left it. After ownership of the building changed hands a few times, it was purchased by Scott Best, who had a vision to restore it to it’s original condition – just as Jesse Wilbur had built it. After decades of inactivity, Scott Best pur- chased the property and began the process Built in 1895, the old historic building across the street from Eden Park, which had once provided essential services to the farmers in the valley, had sat vacant for years. The old brick walls still housed all the tools, horseshoes, machines and bel- lows which had been used for over 70 years to fashion items out of metal. Originally used as a blacksmith shop by Jesse Wilbur and his son Glenn, services were added to include a gas pump and auto repair shop. There were once more than 20 black- smiths working in the Ogden area, creating tools, wagon wheel tires, door latches and of restoration between 2011 and 2014. Currently, the building is nearly identical to the one built over a century ago, housing a fully functioning blacksmith shop man- aged by a contemporary modern day black- smith, Aaron Richardson. Richardson took over the position of owner of Ragnar Forge after working as a demonstration blacksmith at This Is The Place State Park in Salt Lake City. Now as more of a production blacksmith, his job is to fill custom orders and commissioned pieces by appointment, rather than show- ing visitors the art of forging. Mountain Luxury Collection 60 | blacksmith shop a hot spot of history