Cowboy boots are a specific style of riding boot, historically worn by cowboys. They have a high heel that is traditionally made of stacked leather, rounded to pointed toe, high shaft, and, traditionally, no lacing. Cowboy boots are normally made from cowhide leather, which may be decoratively hand tooled, but are also sometimes made from "exotic" skins like alligator, snake, ostrich, lizard, eel, elephant, stingray, elk,
buffalo, and so on.
There are two basic styles of cowboy boots, western (or classic), and roper. The classic style is distinguished by a tall boot shaft, going to at least mid-calf, with an angled "cowboy" heel, usually over one inch high. A slightly lower, still angled, "walking" heel is also common. The toe of western boots was originally rounded or squared in shape. The narrow pointed toe design appeared in the early 1940s.
A newer design, the "roper" style, has a short boot shaft that stops above the ankle but before the middle of the calf, with a very low and squared-off "roper" heel, shaped to the sole of the boot, usually less than one inch high. Roper boots are usually made with rounded toes, but, correlating with style changes in street wear, styles with a squared toe are seen. The roper style is also manufactured in a lace-up design which often fits better around the ankle and is less likely to slip off, but lacing also creates safety issues for riding. They usually have some sort of decorative stitching.
History
Riding boots had been a part of equestrian life for centuries. Until the industrial age, boots were individually handmade in many different styles, depending on culture. Early cowboy boot designs, along with other cowboy accouterments, were also heavily influenced by the vaquero tradition that developed from a tradition that originated in Spain to the Americas, dating back to the early 16th century. The boots worn by Mexican vaqueros influenced cowboy boots, although the exact origin of the modern cowboy boot as we know it today isn't very clear. Cowboy boots from Northern Mexico were most likely adopted by Americans and later came the cowboy boots we know today Military boots designed for cavalry riders also had an influence. Mexican vaqueros probably developed a cowboy boot from the Spanish riding boots. The Mexican cowboy boots only came in three styles, rounded toe, pointed toe and tribal toes, while the Americans offer many more styles. Also the idea of using skins on the boots came from Northern Mexico, as well as the colors, the colors imitate the color of Mexican ranches.
Later, the Industrial Revolution allowed some styles of boots to be mass-produced. One mass-produced boot style, the Wellington boot, (a shorter but cavalry-oriented boot) was popular with cowboys in the US until the 1860s.
During the cattle drive era of 1866–1884, the cowboy was apt to ruin a good pair of dress boots while working, so some owned more decorative dress boots to wear in town. The basic style elements permeated even working boots, and made the Wellington obsolete. Fashion magazines from 1850 and 1860 show the cowboy boot with top stitching, cutouts of geometric or other natural elements and under slung heel.
The American-style boot was taken up by boot makers in the cattle ranching areas of Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. Two of the best known early bootmakers of the era were Charles Hyer of Hyer Brothers Boots in Olathe, Kansas, and H. J. "Daddy Joe" Justin of Justin Boots in Fort Worth, Texas and later Nocona, Texas. After Justin moved to Fort Worth where shipping was easier, the Nocona brand of cowboy boots was made by Enid Justin Stelzer, eldest daughter of H. J. Justin, who stayed in Nocona with her husband, and the couple continued the family business.[4] After the couple divorced, the Olsen-Stelzer brand was started by Stelzer. The Texas Legislature designated the cowboy boot as the official "State Footwear of Texas" in 2007.
T.C. McInerney of Abilene, Kansas, also made the American-style cowboy boot. A picture of this boot is listed in an ad in the Abilene Weekly Chronicle on December 7, 1871.
One accessory used with cowboy boots are spurs, which are sometimes attached to the heel of each boot for the purpose of cueing a horse while riding.
- 1 refrigerated pie crust (from a 17-ounce package)
- 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese
- 1/2 cup real bacon bits
- 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups half-and-half
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Preheat oven to 350º. Place pie crust in a 9-inch deep dish pie plate and flute edges.
- In a medium bowl, combine cheddar and Swiss cheeses; sprinkle half the mixture into bottom of pie crust. Sprinkle bacon bits over cheese, top with spinach, then remaining cheese.
- In the same bowl, combine eggs, half-and-half, onion powder, and pepper; beat until thoroughly mixed. Pour into pie crust; sprinkle with nutmeg.
- Bake 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack 5 minutes before cutting and serving.
