In historical westerns four things are always in every story – Hats (Stetsons usually,) Guns, Horses and Boots. Not necessarily in that order. But who were the early bootmakers? The first boots, and maybe the forerunner of the western boot, were reportedly worn by Genghis Kahn way back in the Mongol Empire. He wore a pair of red boots with wooden heels. But definitely the Wellington boots worn in 17th and 18th centuries of England were a precursor of the cowboy boots. They rode high on the leg, had a low heel and were made of the same four part construction as cowboy boots. Soldiers in the Civil War preferred them and when they went home from the war, they took their boots with them. NEW BOOTS One on the earliest known bootmakers was Charles Hyer in Olathe, Kansas in 1872. He and his brother Edward founded the Hyer Brothers Boot Company and outfitted many a trail driver. Down here in Texas as the cattle drives accelerated, bootmakers popped up in the towns a...
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