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Dress Wellington boots, the workmanship had Notice the tucked-in pantlegs in this promotional
c. 1845. The Duke’s to stand up to the test photo of Clayton Moore as The Long Ranger.
improvement to the of surviving life on
Hessian boot is still the battleground. became useful was placing two holes or
popular today and the While the Hessian woven pulls at the top of the boot shaft to
boots are called and Wellington boots make them easier to pull on, and an
“Wellies” in England. extended heal at the bottom with a small
did their jobs during extension to make them easier to take off
the Napoleonic wars in when coming into the house.
Europe (1803-1815), the structure and use of a
boot in the new post-Civil War times found a
new purpose. America’s Manifest Destiny— Welcome to Movieland
the 19th-century doctrine or belief that Boots were standard footwear
the expansion of the U.S. through- throughout the West. When movie
out the American continents was production companies were being built in
both justified and inevitable—had California, some of the first films made to
a profound effect on the clothes, demonstrate the power of the moving
tools, and equipment needed to complete the task of heading West. picture showed not only the wonders of
According to timsboots.com, “The first cowboy boot came into the world but also the wonder of the Wild
existence sometime during the mid-to late-1800s. Searching for a better West. Perhaps no greater influence
life after the Civil War, herds of people headed west. What they found was shaped the style of the cowboy boot more
a world of vast landscapes and unforgivable terrain.” Meeting the demands than Westerns.
of crossing a country with a family, the tools of a trade, The cowboys were seen as the “good
livestock, furniture, food, etc., etc., along with the daily wear and tear of guys,” the heroes of the action film who were not only morally upstanding
taking care of the horses, fighting off but standing up in fancy clothes
wildlife, negotiating with other travelers, At left, original antique 1860 - 70s cow- and fancier cowboy boots. The
coming across the occasional military boy boots. These boots are the early plainer the boot, the more likely
outpost, and interactions with Native classic two-piece arch front in a the wearer was the bad guy.
Americans was no easy feat on the feet. brown finish. Brown is far less Movies made the biggest
Timboots.com states, “Ranchers needed impact on cowboy boot design
a new kind of shoe. One that could keep common than the typical black and there was some debate as to
them steady on the saddle and shield them boot. The sole in the arch is whether you should tuck your
from commonplace injuries. That’s when thin to allow a good feel of the pantlegs into the boots or not.
one savvy rancher decided to ask the local stirrup – a feature on the first Singing cowboys saw the tucking
cobbler for a custom-made boot. No one cattle drives after the war of in of the pant leg as a cleaner
knows exactly who this man was, or where northern aggression. These approach, keeping the pants clean
the original idea came from, but many boots came out of a museum no matter where they were … not
suspect Kansas or Texas was the birthplace of collection. The sole is stitched that any mud ever appeared on
the first [cowboy] boot.” on the edge and glued to the them, either.
What is known is that the first American inside of the sole. These boot To keep up with the cowboy
store to sell boots was in Coffeyville, Kansas, soles were glued and stitched. and cowgirl custom boots made
in the 1870s. These early versions had very Cowboys preferred glued for the stars, boot makers were
high heels that are no longer used today by embellishing the heck out of
working cowboys. These boots sold for around or stitched for comfort leather boots – whether it was
$12-$20, a small fortune back then. in the stirrup. The cowhide, alligator or ostrich
use of pegs leather, or deer and doeskin (syn-
were more thetics came much later and faded
The Working Cowboy common out quickly). In fact, the care and
Cowboys and their Mexican and Spanish coun- for boots preservation of these fancy new
terparts roamed the land daily, herding cattle, trou- worn by boots created a sub-category of
bleshooting weather events that impacted property, and sodbusters and infantry due to cowboy products sold to the
traipsing through prickers and deep water to ensure they public to help keep boots sturdy,
could continue to make a living while being out in the open the harder wear when afoot.
air. They would be in the saddle up to 18 hours a day in every
type of weather from scorching heat to freezing cold while working a
cattle drive.
These early boots were not
meant to be pretty but had to be
useful, like any other tool on the
saddle or on the pack horse to get
the job done. The local bootmaker
or “cordwainer” made early versions
by hand-sewing cowhide leather – a
skill the Cowboy also had in his
wheelhouse to repair any tears, or
even make a pair of boots for himself.
As people populating the West At right, a publicity photo of Roy Rogers
turned to cowboy boots to wear as at the National Gallery in Washington,
they worked in the town and the D.C. Above, a custom-designed boot
home, moderations were made to made by Rocket Buster Boots and
the shape and style of the boot. designed with Roy Rogers about 32 years
ago. These boots were first available by
Some preferred a lower shaft or a custom order at the Roy Rogers Museum
shorter heel. One trend that and were autographed by Roy himself.

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