Entry No. 48 — the Pueblo file — filed under: hands-on
The Heritage School at Trinidad State College - Bladesmithing
Trinidad State's Heritage School offers continuing-education bladesmithing and knifemaking courses taught by Steve Rollert, a knifemaker with over 40 years of experience who specializes in Damascus and hand-forged blades. Bladesmithing covers forging and grinding full and hidden-tang blades, steel selection, heat treating, and finishing; the knifemaking course sends you home with a finished knife and sheath. It's a rare chance to actually forge steel at a college shop rather than just watch. Offerings come and go (none were scheduled for 2026), so call ahead at 719-846-5724 before counting on a date.
The story
You don’t usually expect a community college continuing-education catalog to hand you a forge blowpipe and a four-pound hammer, but Trinidad State’s Heritage School operates on a different frequency. Tucked into the campus on Prospect Street, this isn't a passive demonstration where you stand behind safety glass while an instructor puts on a show. Master knifemaker Steve Rollert—who brings over 40 years of experience hand-forging blades and pattern-welded Damascus steel—takes students straight into a working shop to hammer raw steel stock into functional edges.
The instruction focuses on core metalsmithing trades: raw steel selection, forging techniques, heat treating, and grinding down full-tang or hidden-tang profiles. Depending on whether you lock into the specific bladesmithing module or the complete knifemaking workshop, you spend your hours working between high-heat forges, anvils, and belt grinders. You don't just leave with soot under your fingernails and severe heat-soak respect for carbon steel—you walk out carrying a hand-forged knife and a fitted leather sheath you built from scratch.
The catch is that securing an anvil requires some old-school legwork. These workshops are offered as occasional continuing-education modules—frequently batched into the college's summer trade schedule—and they don't operate on a fixed year-round rotation. Since regular course postings come and go (with none posted for 2026 at last check), you can't rely on a modern click-and-book web portal. You have to call program coordinator Donna Haddow directly to find out when the forge is actually getting lit.
What it's like
Expect a working shop floor filled with anvil clatter, power grinders, forge heat, and steel scale. You will be operating heavy tools and handling hot metal, so leave synthetic clothing at home and wear heavy denim, natural fibers, and solid boots. Trinidad sits roughly 85 miles south of Pueblo down I-25, so make sure you phone Donna Haddow at 719-846-5724 to verify upcoming session availability before making the drive.
The move: Enroll together in a bladesmithing or basic knifemaking session and forge and grind your own blade from raw steel.
📍 Before you go Offered as occasional continuing-ed sessions (often summer) and no 2026 date was posted at last check; call Donna Haddow at 719-846-5724 to confirm availability. Trinidad is ~85 miles south of Pueblo.
- 📍 Trinidad
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 600 Prospect St, Trinidad, CO 81082
Hours: Added 2026-06-23 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Louden-Henritze Archaeology Museum — Located right on the same Trinidad State campus, offering a quick look at 80-million-year-old local ocean fossils once you put down the shop hammer.
- Simpson's Rest — Drive half a mile from campus up to the rocky bluff overlooking town to see the hilltop grave of 1800s scout George Simpson.
- A.R. Mitchell Museum of Western Art — Head into downtown Trinidad to see thousands of original pulp-art illustrations housed inside a 1906 dry-goods store.
Good to know
Who leads the bladesmithing classes at Trinidad State?
Steve Rollert, a veteran knifemaker with more than four decades of experience specializing in hand-forged blades and Damascus steel.
What skills and materials are covered in the workshops?
Courses cover steel selection, hand-forging full and hidden-tang blades, belt grinding, heat treating, finishing, and shaping leather sheaths.
How do I sign up or check class availability?
Sessions are non-credit continuing education offerings that run sporadically. You need to call program coordinator Donna Haddow at 719-846-5724 to get current schedule details.
Where is the workshop located?
On the Trinidad State College campus at 600 Prospect St, Trinidad, CO, approximately 85 miles south of Pueblo.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site
last checked: 2026-06-23