The Good Life – January-February 2021

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were just finishing their careers in those shops. I was very fortunate that I took the time back then to find these people and visit with them; it gave me a good feeling of what shops were like, what equipment they used, how they worked, and the type of work they did." He has a shop on his farm that recreates the 1895-1910 era of blacksmithing. "It is geared towards what you would have seen in most of the small rural community blacksmith shops around the turn of the century," stated Swenson. "I chose that period because here, in the Red River Valley, 14 / THE GOOD LIFE / urbantoadmedia.com that was a time of very rapid growth and expansion." His shop is set up so all of the tools and equipment are from that period that he has collected and he tries to use the same type of work methods that they would have 100 years ago. "It has always had kind of a special feeling to me, that period of time," noted Swenson. Fortunately, Swenson's passion has provided for him and his family financially as well. "<strong>The</strong> majority of my time in the past two years, as far as the shop is concerned, has been spent teaching classes," stated Swenson. "I teach classes out of my shop directly; currently I have 8 individuals who come out for private instructions." Setting up an appointment for private classes is very simple; you can contact Swenson through his Facebook page, Goose Prairie Forge. He is very flexible when it comes to scheduling time to visit his shop; whether it is during the week or on the weekend he can find a time that works best for your schedule. Don't think that this is all that Swenson does when it comes to blacksmithing. Currently, he is
on staff at North House Folk School in Grand Marais, Minnesota, the Vesterheim in Decorah, Iowa, and Aspire Artisan Studio and Folk School in Waconia, Minnesota. But, wait, there is more! In addition to his shop and staffed positions, Swenson has studied under some of the most impressive blacksmiths around. He has studied in California, England, and Sweden. "I have learned a tremendous amount from those people which has been very helpful," said Swenson. More recently he has been awarded a grant from the American Scandinavian Foundation to return to Sweden and study further later in <strong>2021</strong>. He is the real deal when it comes to being a master blacksmith in the United States. Because kids are not in school right now due to quarantine, younger individuals, junior high to high school students, have set up times to come to visit Swenson's shop as a part of their homeschooling curriculum. This is such a clever way to get in a little extra history, creativity, and manual activity forging and creating. "I have a large shop and it has good ventilation. Usually, we have individuals, or a couple, or a family group, so we don't mix a lot of the public in the shop at this point," mentioned Swenson. It has to be so rewarding to come with a design in mind and execute it with a professional. I spoke with Swenson about setting up some time in the future to visit his shop and make something; a fire poker or dinner bell perhaps, or maybe both! "I think it is satisfying for people to be able to do that, to make a finished product," said Swenson. If you are curious to see what Swenson's work is all about, head over to his Facebook page at Goose Prairie Forge, and browse around for a while. You, too, will be captivated by the sights and sounds of his shop. • urbantoadmedia.com / THE GOOD LIFE / 15
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Page 16 and 17: MEN'S HEALTH WRITTEN BY: BEN HANSON
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The Good Life – January-February 2021

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