By 1900, many people had made the trip to Yosemite on horseback or by horse-drawn stage. Roads were rough on horses and riders. It took eight hours to travel approximately 25 miles from Wawona to Yosemite Valley. A four-up stage (a stage being drawn by four horses) changed horses four times during the trip. Consequently, 16 horses were used to make the journey. Blacksmiths shops were located throughout the park, and "smithys" offered valuable assistance with shoeing and stage repair. Early Yosemite tourists may never have completed the journey without the help of blacksmiths along the way.

With a piece of red-hot iron, a hammer and an anvil, a blacksmith could design and create nearly anything made of iron, crafting the tools and parts that kept communities moving.

Blacksmiths, once the lynchpin of Yosemite travel, still occasionally work in Yosemite to show their skills at the Blacksmith Shop in the Yosemite History Center (summer only).