Working boots then and now. The heel and the shaft kept their purpose.
The cowboy descends from the Spanish vaquero. Wikipedia says the English word comes from vaquero, and that the tradition began in Iberia and developed in Mexico. Railroads pushing west put cowboys at the center of the work, per History.com, and the first large-scale drive to a railhead came in 1866. By the 1890s, History.com adds, barbed wire was widespread.
How did the cowboy boot change over time?
The cowboy boot began as a vaquero-influenced riding boot with a tall stacked heel and no laces, and gained stitching and cutouts as customers ordered them. Today some makers, including Alvies and Hevias, build on the Goodyear welt, which lets a pair be resoled. Wikipedia says early cowboy boot designs were heavily influenced by the vaquero tradition, which it dates back to the early 16th century. It adds that early boots had single rows of topstitching, and that as custom boots were made, cowboys asked for decorative stitching and cutouts.
| When | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Early 16th century | The vaquero tradition, which early cowboy boot designs drew on, reaches the Americas from Spain | Wikipedia, "Cowboy boot" |
| Traditional form (undated) | High heel of stacked leather, high shaft, traditionally no lacing; the tall heel minimized the risk of the foot sliding forward through the stirrup | Wikipedia, "Cowboy boot" |
| 1862 | Auguste Destouy invents the basic principle behind the Goodyear welt machine, a curved needle that stitches turned shoes | Wikipedia, "Goodyear welt" |
| Early 1890s | Annie Justin develops a self-measuring kit, so customers can order the company's products by mail | Wikipedia, "Justin Boots" |
| 1900 | Carl Olsen, a Norwegian immigrant shoemaker, starts work for H.J. "Big Daddy Joe" Justin in Nocona, Texas, where he meets production manager Julius Stelzer | Olsen-Stelzer history page |
| 1934 | Stelzer joins Olsen in Henrietta, Texas, forming the Olsen-Stelzer Boot and Saddlery Company | Olsen-Stelzer history page |
| Mid-1930s | Olsen-Stelzer makes Gene Autry's first pair of custom-made boots: square toes, a 2 1/8-inch walking heel, bluebird and flower cutouts | Autry Museum record |
| Today | Olsen-Stelzer builds made-to-measure boots. Alvies boots are Goodyear welted and handcrafted in León, Mexico. Hevias says its welted boots are fully resolable | Olsen-Stelzer, alvies.com FAQ, hevias.com |
Olsen-Stelzer, a House of Western Brands maker, still builds boots to measure. Its story is in Olsen-Stelzer history, and the current lineup is in the Olsen-Stelzer collection.
Why do cowboy boots have a tall heel and tall shaft?
The tall heel kept a rider's foot from sliding forward through the stirrup, and the tall shaft held the boot on without laces. Wikipedia's cowboy boot entry says that slide could be life-threatening if it happened. Wikipedia's Justin Boots entry adds that Justin stitched rows across the boot tops to stiffen the leather and keep it from folding around the ankles. The welt that joins the sole is covered in Goodyear welt construction.
Who were the first cowboys?
The first cowboys were vaqueros, Mexico's cattle herders. Wikipedia says the English word cowboy was derived from vaquero, Spanish for cowherd or cattle-herder, and History.com says vaquero comes from the Spanish word vaca, cow. The Sid Richardson Museum says cowboy culture in the American West can be traced to the Spanish tradition of the vaquero. The vaquero guide covers the words, the roots and the craft in full.
How did the Texas cattle drives start?
The first large-scale drive from Texas to a railhead for shipment to Chicago took place in 1866, according to Wikipedia's cowboy entry. Wikipedia's cattle-drives entry says an estimated 200,000 to 260,000 surplus cattle were available by 1866. Wikipedia says a cattle shipping facility was built at the Abilene, Kansas, railhead in 1867.
The totals depend on the source. The Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) says in its longhorn entry that contractors drove five to ten million cattle out of Texas over a twenty-year span. TSHA's Chisholm Trail entry cites the U.S. Bureau of Statistics for an estimated 5,200,000 head driven north from Texas in 1866-84.
Where did the Chisholm Trail go, and when was it used?
The Chisholm Trail ran about 520 miles from near Fort Worth, across Indian Territory, to the railhead at Abilene, Kansas, according to Wikipedia's cattle-drives entry. TSHA says it was one of several routes Texas drovers used to move livestock north to Kansas markets after the Civil War, in use from the summer of 1867 to 1884.
Wikipedia says the trail ended in Abilene from 1867 to 1871, then the end moved to other cities as railroads were built southward. It also says the trail is named for Jesse Chisholm, a multiracial trader from Tennessee of Cherokee and Scottish descent.
What ended the open range and the cowboy's trail days?
By the 1890s, History.com says, most of the land had been privatized and barbed wire was widespread. Wikipedia's open range entry says barbed wire made fencing huge expanses cheaper than hiring cowboys. TSHA says Joseph F. Glidden of DeKalb, Illinois, was granted a patent on November 24, 1874, for fencing made of barbs wrapped around a single strand of wire.
Wikipedia says the winter of 1886-87 combined severely overgrazed rangelands with unusually cold temperatures and killed hundreds of thousands of cattle. History.com describes the same winter as one when thousands of cattle died.
Who were the cowboys?
Cowboys came from many backgrounds. History.com says they included African Americans, Native Americans, Mexicans and settlers from the eastern United States and Europe. The Sid Richardson Museum says most cowboys in south Texas were Hispanic, and along the Texas coast the majority of cowboys were Black.
Estimates of the Black share differ by source. Wikipedia's cowboy entry puts Black cowboys at up to 25 percent of range-cattle workers from the 1860s to 1880s. The Sid Richardson Museum says 1 in 5 cattle trail workers was a cowboy of color, either Hispanic or African American, so the two figures count different groups. The Black cowboys guide lays the estimates side by side and follows the notable figures.
How did rodeo begin?
Rodeo grew out of the working cowboy's tasks. Wikipedia says informal competition arose between cowboys testing their cattle and horse-handling skills against one another, and from those tasks the sport developed.
Sources name different firsts. Wikipedia's rodeo entry says Deer Trail, Colorado, claims the first, in 1869. History.com says the first professional rodeo was held in Prescott, Arizona, in 1888.
Quick answers
How many cowboys did it take to move a herd?
History.com says it took between eight and 12 cowboys to move 3,000 head of cattle along cattle drives.
What did trail cowboys wear?
History.com says they typically wore large wide-brim hats to protect them from the sun, boots to help them ride horses, and bandanas to guard them from dust. For crowns and brims, see cowboy hat shapes.
Who were the best-known early bootmakers?
Wikipedia names Charles Hyer of Hyer Brothers Boots in Olathe, Kansas, and H.J. "Daddy Joe" Justin of Justin Boots as two of the best-known early bootmakers. Its Justin Boots entry says Justin began by repairing boots in Spanish Fort, Texas.
When did Western films start shaping the cowboy's image?
Wikipedia says Western films from the 1920s on popularized the cowboy lifestyle and also formed persistent stereotypes. History.com names stars including John Wayne, Buck Jones and Gene Autry.
Bottom line
The cowboy began as the vaquero, drove Texas cattle to Kansas railheads, and by the 1890s worked land that was largely privatized and fenced with barbed wire. The boot's tall heel and shaft came from riding, its stitching and cutouts from customers, and the Goodyear welt lets a pair be resoled. Olsen-Stelzer, plus Alvies and Hevias boots handcrafted in León, Mexico, and Goodyear welted, carry that line forward.
Where to go next
- Shop all boots
- Olsen-Stelzer made-to-measure boots
- Olsen-Stelzer history
- Custom cowboy boots, explained
Sources: Wikipedia ("Cowboy," "Cowboy boot," "Vaquero," "Justin Boots," "Goodyear welt," "Cattle drives in the United States," "Chisholm Trail," "Open range," "Rodeo"); History.com, "Cowboys"; Sid Richardson Museum, "The Evolution of Cowboy Culture"; Texas State Historical Association, Handbook of Texas ("Longhorn Cattle," "Chisholm Trail," "Barbed Wire"); Autry Museum collections record for Gene Autry's Olsen-Stelzer boots; Olsen-Stelzer's history page; alvies.com FAQ; hevias.com, our story.
