History

Origins of the cowboy boot…

The “history” chapter of Tyler Beard’s book, The Art of the Boot, is available for online reading on the
Texas Monthly website.

“A History of the Western Boot,” by D.W. Frommer II traces the legends, the traditions, and the history of the cowboy boot all the way back to St. Crispin, the patron saint of shoemakers.

Search for bits and pieces of cowboy boot history throughout my website.

Bootmaker biographies…

CustomCowboyBootsandShoesForum.com Mark Fletcher’s website saves old stories, old cowboy boots and memories of long-gone bootmakers.

“Enid Justin: Lady Bootmaker to the Nation”…created by the University of North Texas, the archival information featured in this project includes family and company photos, as well as taped interviews with Miss Enid herself! (Audio interviews available to library visitors.)

Handbook of Texas. Search for the word “bootmaker.” You’ll get all the names you’d expect… Nocona, Justin, Lucchese.

A pair of “Hyer Cowboy Boots” are part of the Kansas State Historical Society’s “cool things archives”. Read more about the Kansas entrepreneurs who claim to have “invented” the cowboy boot. (NOTE: Some Texans disagree.)

An oral history was borrowed from the U.S. National Archives, and tells the life story of a New Mexico bootmaker, Beecher Lank.

Bootmaker Charlie Dunn is featured here as a “famous Texan”.