The guild’s blacksmith shop at the Leduc West Antique Society in its early days, with visitors at picnic tables out front Our shop at the Leduc West Antique Society in its early days.

The Western Canadian Blacksmiths’ Guild was started in 1986 by a group of smiths in the Edmonton area, and celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2026. This founding chapter has its shop at the Leduc West Antique Society. The shop was built as a working reconstruction of a 1940s–1950s blacksmith shop, and it’s still a fully functioning forge today. It’s where we meet on the second Saturday of every month and where we do most of our demos for park visitors.

If you recognize anyone in these photos or have old photos of your own to add, let us know. Click any photo to see it larger.

Building the shop

Guild members built the shop themselves on the Leduc West grounds, from framing the walls to putting on the siding. These are the original building plans, followed by photos of the build.

Original building plans: floor plan, 36 by 24 feet with an engine room at the back
Original building plans: floor plan, 36 by 24 feet with an engine room at the back
Original building plans: right side view, front view and floor plan
Original building plans: right side view, front view and floor plan
Raising the first wall
Raising the first wall
Walls going up
Walls going up
Starting on the roof trusses
Starting on the roof trusses
Trusses going up
Trusses going up
Framing done, with the lumber for the siding
Framing done, with the lumber for the siding
The finished frame
The finished frame
The finished frame from the road
The finished frame from the road
Up the ladders putting the siding on
Up the ladders putting the siding on
Siding and roof strapping going on
Siding and roof strapping going on

The shop in its early years

Working the forges in the new shop
Working the forges in the new shop
Fire going under the big hood
Fire going under the big hood
Visitors lining up at the shop doors
Visitors lining up at the shop doors
A busy show day at the shop
A busy show day at the shop

Building and early shop photos from Gerry’s collection.

The rest of the photos below come from the gallery pages Don Sinclaire put together for our original website around 2010 and 2011.

Members and activities

Carl, Bill, Bob and John
Carl, Bill, Bob and John
Carl, Bernard and Scott
Carl, Bernard and Scott
At John's hammer-in
At John's hammer-in
At John's hammer-in
At John's hammer-in
At John's hammer-in
At John's hammer-in
At John's hammer-in
At John's hammer-in
At John's hammer-in
At John's hammer-in
Rhett using Roseann's power hammer
Rhett using Roseann's power hammer
John and Jerry
John and Jerry

The Leduc shop

The Leduc shop
The Leduc shop
The Leduc shop
The Leduc shop
Hilton at the Leduc shop
Hilton at the Leduc shop
Jack at the Leduc shop
Jack at the Leduc shop
Jerry at the Leduc shop
Jerry at the Leduc shop
Scott at the Leduc shop
Scott at the Leduc shop
Hilton
Hilton

Demos in 2011

At the George Pegg Botanic Garden
At the George Pegg Botanic Garden
Dennis at Mayerthorpe
Dennis at Mayerthorpe
Scott at Rochfort Bridge
Scott at Rochfort Bridge
Our portable setup for demos
Our portable setup for demos

Group projects

Every so often the guild takes on a project together. In 2010 the group made a bird feeder for a raffle, and there’s an earlier one from 2004 as well.

2010 bird feeder raffle
2010 bird feeder raffle
2010 bird feeder raffle
2010 bird feeder raffle
2010 bird feeder raffle
2010 bird feeder raffle
2010 bird feeder raffle
2010 bird feeder raffle
Parts for the 2004 bird feeder
Parts for the 2004 bird feeder

Photos from our original website, © Don Sinclaire, 2011.