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Cowboy Boots
The boot represents one of the most distinguishing articles of cowboy clothing. Distinctive in its style, it stands out as one of the items required to fill out a cowboys uniform. As with the cowboy hat, the boot can trace its origins to the horsemen of the Mongolian steppes in Asia. Like many other pieces of cowboy gear the boot was adapted over time to fit the needs of the working cowhand. The boots of the early cowhands were generally rather low in the heel and had high uppers that reached almost to the knee. A pair of mule ear flaps at the top of some boots helped facilitate pulling them on. As there was no "right and left" during this time period this could prove to be a chore. Many cowboys were wearing custom made boots by the 1870's. The Hyer boot was one of the most popular with the old time cow hands. Early Hyer catalogs advertised a boot with "Calf vamp and back Morocco kid extended up above the vamp; Round box toe; wrinkled and stitched front; scalloped top" for the price of $14.00. This seems to be a pretty hefty sum for the day but we are all slaves to fashion. The stovepipe boot began to make an appearance around the mid 1870's.
Stovepipe boots utilized stitching in the uppers to help strengthen the tops. Other makers added leather cutouts of various colors to accomplish the same purpose. If you look hard at old photographs you can see hints of half moons and stars on some boots. Some modern boot makers now make replicas of these old stovepipe boots and they are quite attractive. While many cowboys had their custom made boots most purchased what fit them the best from a local dry goods store. The boots came in big wooden boxes with an assortment of different sizes. The granger boot was ever popular and was made of bull leather. They cost a whopping $2.00 - $4.00. Montgomery Ward advertised United States government sewn boots in its early catalogs at a price of $2.75. They were described as having a "broad sole, low heel; a comfortable and economical stogy boot." The low heel worked well with the wider wooden stirrups of the day. As stirrups narrowed in later years a higher heel was need to keep the boot from slipping through the stirrup. John K. Rollinson stated in his book "Pony Trails In Wyoming" "All the men were well shod in good looking, riding boots, except the cook. I learned that the boots were mostly made by a boot maker named Hyer, of Olathe, Kansas, and were generally black in color. All had seventeen inch tops, with a two or two and a half inch heel, slanted well forward, so that the weight of the foot came forward of the heel, and consequently the stirrup was held under the arch of the rider's instep, as it should be." These were apparently some tight fitting boots. Rollinson went on to discuss their removal. "The men were tired, and a bunch of them had removed
their boots to ease their feet. I was surprised to see one man back up to
another on the ground who wanted to remove his boots which were evidently too
tight. His helper took the boot between his legs with one hand on the toe
and one on the heel. The wearer of the boots put his free foot against the
rump of his helper, and with much wiggling and twisting the boot came off."
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