Western Wear and the Advent of Cowboy Boots

Some styles of clothing are developed out of luxury and vanity, while others are born straight out a necessity. When it comes to western apparel, you’ll find the full spectrum, from dress boots and fancy hats to the most basic of designs meant for those working hard on the farm, ranch, or in the field. The very basics of western wear were born at a time when the United States was expanding westward, into the vast territory that was as of yet unexplored (by the Eurpoean settlers of the continent, anyway). At the time, it was a somewhat hard lifestyle that was undertaken by the rough, the tough, and the adventerous. Today’s romantic view of the past, especially the period of westward expansion, may well come from the fact that this was the first truly American undertaking. It was the movement that began the expansion into what our country is today. The vastness, the unexplored, the fresh new territory that existed at the time is something that we are pretty well past today, where most usable land is already occupied, yet something that we still hold to as an American principle.

The creation of the cowboy boot depicts the innovation of the time, and is a great example of functional American apparel. Most riders who set out on cattle drives in the late 1860s were wearing military style boots similar to the style that had been worn during the Civil War. These boots might have been good for battle, but most cowboys found them a little bit lacking when it came to protecting them from the hazards of the trail as well as ease of wear for long days in the saddle. And so, the cowboy boot was born. Rumor has it that the first pair of cowboy boots were commissioned by a rather industrious cowboy who had some new ideas about what a boot should be.

The bootmaker that made them was likely in Texas or Kansas (oral tradition names both of these sites as the home of the first cowboy boots, and western wear enthusiasts aren’t any closer to knowing which place it is than they were fifty years ago). They had a higher shaft to protect their ankles and legs, a pointed toe that lended itself to easier entry and removal from a stirrup, and a underslung heel to keep the foot in the stirrup during rough terrain. They also featured durable leather that was stitched on the outside which prevented irritation to the rider’s leg.