In 1870 California, blacksmiths were essential workers who made tools, horseshoes, and wagon parts that helped build the growing nation. They earned about $3.90 a day, working six days a week, adding up to roughly $1,216 per year.
While some goods were cheap, like pork sausages at 16 cents a pound, others were surprisingly expensive, like corn meal at $6.00 per pound. A pair of sturdy boots cost $4.75, and coal oil for lamps was 40 cents per gallon. Gold was fixed at $20.67 an ounce, meaning a blacksmith had to work nearly a week to afford just one ounce. Most blacksmiths did not pay income tax at the time, as federal income tax had been repealed in 1872 after being briefly introduced during the Civil War.
Their work was hard, hot, and dangerous, but they were highly respected in their communities. Today, metalworkers make much more, over $50,000 a year, and essentials are far more affordable by comparison. Still, the blacksmiths of the 19th century remind us how much American labor has changed and how tough life could be in the past.