Carl Radtke's blacksmith shop

RADTKE

Posted By: Sally BrysonThornton (email)
Date: 6/5/2008 at 14:25:41

He Was More Than Just A "smithy"

Under the spreading chestnut tree
The village smithy stands.

Carl Radtke's blacksmith shop wasn't under a chestnut tree, but there was a straggly box-elder growing between his shop and John Warner's garage once. Oh sure, you probably would have to be at least 70 years old to have remembered the tree. It was there when farmers still drove their livestock to the stockyards in the east part of Stockport to load on the train.

Carl Radtke was born in Missouri in 1886. When he was 16 years old he moved to Wever, Iowa, where he learned the blacksmith trade from his uncle. Around Christmas time 1925, he moved to Stockport to operate a shop for about 30 years, before he sold the business to Glen Hendricks.

Blacksmithing wasn't the only irons in the fire (no pun intended), Radtke had. He was an exceptional seamster, and an outstanding chef. He could tat, quilt, and was skilled with a crochet hook. He had made countless doilies, bedspreads, tablecloths and baby booties. He once crocheted a number of cup and saucer nut cups for something a local organization was holding. He won first prize at the Iowa State Fair with one of his bedspreads. Radtke said it took about 500 hours for him to complete a quilt.

Radtke was not only good at fancy work, he was an excellent cook as well. He was known throughout the Stockport Community for his nearly foot high angel food cake, and he decorated them too. The Radtke's belonged to the Christian Church in Stockport, and you could always find some of his creations at the church's annual bazaars. While his cakes were the stars of his culinary endeavors, his beef stew was absolutely the greatest. When Carl was at his cooking tasks, his wife was just an interested bystander, he did it all.

By looking at his needlework you wouldn't know he had lost his middle finger on his left hand in a homemade table saw.

A shop loafer said he held up his left hand after the accident and said, maybe I had better go see Dr. Graber. Dr. Graber sat him down in the examination chair in his office, and told Carl he would have to cut off the dangling digits. The doctor thought he should give Carl something to ease the pain during the operation. Carl told the doctor he had cut them off without any pain killer, and he could stand the cutting off the rest of the way. Graber proceeded, and Carl fainted.

In 1937, Robert Ripley of "Believe It or Not Fame," had Carl on his radio show in New York City. Ripley paid all of the expenses for the eastern trip. During the show Ripley asked about his sewing and cooking, and then asked what kind of work Carl made his living at. The show host had expected Carl to say he was a blacksmith/farrier. But good old Carl said, "I make booties for Black Beauties."

Source:
Leader-Record Newspaper
Looking Back by Ralph Arnold