By 1911, there were already 782 blacksmiths in Alberta - no surprise, considering the agricultural base of the area, and the prevalent use of horses and oxen for transportation. One of those blacksmiths was Tom Flett, who built his home and shop in Airdrie in 1902.
With the help of two of his sons, Tom Jr. and Lloyd, Flett enjoyed steady work charging the standard price; 50 cents for four horseshoes and 50 cents to shoe a horse. Tom Sr. was in the habit of testing branding irons on the walls of his shop, and the marks from those irons can still be seen today. After their father's death, Tom Jr. and Lloyd, who was elected mayor of Airdrie in 1919, kept the business running until the mid-1920s. A family member arranged in 1964 for the shop to be donated to the Glenbow Foundation, for use in Heritage Park.
