El Camino Real International Heritage Center will hosting an ongoing demonstration by Gary Williams on building a carreta, or wagon.

The carreta was the two-wheeled, wooden wagon used in the transport of items for communities along El Camino Real — the 1,500-mile trail that connected Mexico and New Mexico.

Carros or carrotones were the four-wheeled wagons that were used in the long-haul journeys on the trail.

Wagons played a very critical role in the transportation of goods and people on El Camino Real for hundreds of years. Transportation with these wagons was a long and treacherous journey, which took as long as eight months, one way, from Mexico City to Santa Fe.

With the introduction of the railroad into New Mexico during the late 1880s, the use of the carreta on the trail faded away, but still thrived as a form of transportation within the communities along the Camino Real until it was finally replaced by the automobile.

Today, carretas are seen as pivotal to the settlement and economic growth of New Mexico during its early development.

Gary Williams will working on the building of a carreta at the center each week, with the exception of furlough dates, when the center will be closed, beginning Wednesday, Jan. 13. The project is slated to be completed by Thursday, March 4. There will be a formal dedication of the completed carreta in May, during National Historic Preservation Month.

Visitors are encouraged to visit the center to see the construction of the wagon, which will become a permanent fixture at the site. The demonstrations take place Wednesday through Friday, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., on the following dates: Jan. 13-14 (no Friday demo), Jan. 20-22, Jan. 27-29, Feb. 3-5, Feb. 10-12, Feb. 17-19, Feb. 24-26, March 3-4 (no Friday demo).

Williams grew up on a farm in northern Illinois. As a result, he was exposed to numerous hand tools and learned how to use them before many of them became powered by batteries or electric motors. He learned how to properly sharpen and use woodworking tools such as an ax, adz, planes, draw knife and chisels.

Williams was a computer programmer and consultant for almost 40 years, while living in New Jersey.

During that time, he and his wife, Barbara, completely restored a historic stone house (circa 1727) in the village of Quakertown — which is now on the National Register of Historic Places.

Doing much of the restoration on their own gave Williams the opportunity to use the old tools and hone his woodworking skills.

Williams and his wife moved to Corrales in 2003.

If Williams looks familiar, you have probably seen him at his true hobby — blacksmithing. Since his retirement in 2005, he has been able to devote more time to blacksmithing.

Williams currently does demonstrations for various groups and events, including the Corrales Harvest Festival, the Festival of the Cranes at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge and at the Corrales Elementary School. He is actively involved with the Southwest Artist Blacksmith Association.

Williams also served as president of the Sandoval County Historical Society from 2007 to 2009, and is currently vice president and program chairman for the Friends of Coronado State Monument.

As a blacksmith, Williams found the carreta project both a challenge — since it is constructed entirely of wood, with no metal parts at all — and an opportunity to use his woodworking skills once again.

Educational programs and activities are made possible by El Camino Real IHC Foundation and the Museums of New Mexico Foundation.

El Camino Real International Heritage Center is a New Mexico State Monument operated by the Department of Cultural Affairs. The center is located between Socorro and T or C, on I-25 at Exit 115.

The cost of the event is included in monument admission, which is $5 for adults. Children ages 16 and under are free.

For more information, call 575-854-3600, or visit www.elcaminoreal.org.

Contact Submitted to El Defensor Chieftain A Hands-on Man