Passing of Noble Art

Such was the title of a June 1927 article on Lemuel Fowler, blacksmith and carriage maker.

Fowler was born in New Brunswick and, at the age of 16, left home to travel across North America learning his trade and even working for Miller Bros. carriage manufacturers at Amesbury, Massachusetts (at one time there were 26 carriage manufacturers in Amesbury).

Fowler came to Lethbridge in 1905 and started up his own business which for the next several decades was located at 402 4 Street South. A January 1905 article for the company promoted General Blacksmithing and Horseshoeing. The firm also had new buggies to order, carriage painting, all kinds of woodwork in wagons, windmills, fanning mills, cream separators, and grain picklers.

In June 1927, an article was written about Fowler and his continuing with carriage making in a way that no longer existed in most of Canada – making carriages by hand and not with machines.

“An old frame structure on Fourth Street South, across the front of which is barely discernible the lettering of a once bold sign, is the scene of operations of probably the only industry of its kind in Western Canada and possibly in the whole Dominion….Mr. Fowler believes that he is the only man in Western Canada, at least, who entirely by hand, turns out complete wagons for his customers. Of course there are still other wagon factories in Canada for their products are turned out by machinery and the skill of the hand iron forgery is hardly utilized.” (15 June 1927 Lethbridge Herald)

Fowler’s hand made wagons were in demand. At the time the article was written, he was finishing up a new wagon for a local firm and had orders from across Alberta and British Columbia. His wagons sold for $250, which was more expensive than those made in factories. But it was also noted that his wagons outlasted the mass produced wagons.

But Fowler realized that the world of blacksmithing and carriage making had definitely changed.

‘Years ago this place used to be about the busiest in Lethbridge,’ said Mr. Fowler rather wistfully. ‘Everybody used to come around to the shop for a chat, and I used to be busy from morning to night.’” (15 June 1927 Lethbridge Herald) In 1927, Mr. Fowler had only one assistant.

Lemuel H. Fowler passed away in March 1930 at the age of 59 in Port Angeles, Washington, a place where he had moved just two months prior from Lethbridge.