Cowboy boots

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Cowboy boots - Redux

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RobF

Posts: 1611
Joined: Aug. 24 2017

Cowboy boots - Redux

A few years ago I started a semi-serious thread about western style boots that actually turned out to be worthwhile, mainly due to the contributions of other members. I ended up developing quite an interest in the history behind the development of boot making in Texas and I’ve acquired a few reasonably nice pairs of boots over the years since.

The following videos outline the process of making a bespoke pair of boots by the Texan bootmaker, Lee Miller, in Austin Texas. I found it quite interesting and enjoyable to watch this series, so I thought I’d share it with the Foro. I sure wish I could afford a nice pair of boots like Lee Miller can make, that’s for certain. A true craftsman!

I think there are a few more videos in this series, the following cover the build process from fitting to completion:

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 2 2024 20:40:34

davewphx

Posts: 126
Joined: Jul. 11 2011

RE: Cowboy boots - Redux (in reply to RobF)

Robf, There was a foro member who made guitars and leather shoes, who posted videos and photos fairly recently....I liked the shoes he created, and the guitars looked and sounded quite good. . Anybody remember who it was.... he said making guitars was easier than making babies😀

_____________________________

Dave

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 3 2024 14:19:04

RobF

Posts: 1611
Joined: Aug. 24 2017

RE: Cowboy boots - Redux (in reply to davewphx)

Hi Dave, his user name is Pali and he still drops in from time to time. He’s from Córdoba, which also has a long tradition in boot making and leatherwork.

Lee Miller was an apprentice of the legendary Texan bootmaker Charlie Dunn, who apparently sought him out many years ago and invited him to study the craft under him. He, in turn, takes in students and passes along the tradition.

What I like about the videos beyond the production quality is the unobtrusive manner of the interviewer, who stays out of the picture and allows Lee to explain his craft in an unassuming and conversational manner as he goes about his business. Lee Miller, himself, has a great speaking voice and cadence. He doesn’t come across as self-aggrandizing in any way, but speaks with the quiet confidence of a person who knows their craft and allows their work to speak for itself. I almost posted this in the Lutherie section because I felt, in many ways, it fit. Nothing like guitar making, of course, but the heart and soul of it is the same, it’s drinking from the same well.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 3 2024 15:04:36

Richard Jernigan

Posts: 3431
Joined: Jan. 20 2004
From: Austin, Texas USA

RE: Cowboy boots - Redux (in reply to RobF)

Many thanks Robf for posting this set of videos. I really appreciate it and watched them all.

When I slightly knew Charlie Dunn he was already world famous. A pair of boots from him would have been an extravagance. He worked for Buck Steiner, who owned and ran Capitol Saddlery in downtown Austin.

From age six until her twenties my daughter trained and competed as a show jumper. Capitol Saddlery was the only place in town that stocked "English" style saddles, tack and boots, as well as Western gear.

When a neighbor heard that my daughter was going to Capitol Saddlery she said, "You don't let your 15-year old daughter go to that place do you? That old man has a 16-year old girlfriend!"

Buck was past 90 years old at the time, but apparently still vigorous.

I replied that I always accompanied my daughter, and Steiner never got out of line with her or her teen aged friends. Buck's young girlfriend was often at the store, sometimes waiting on customers.

Of course, Lee Miller is world famous now. It was a very great pleasure to see him at work and to hear his narratives of boot lore.

It's been 50 years since I wore a pair of Western riding boots. Abraham Rios e Hijos, Raymondville, Texas made boots and shoes for three generations of my family. The vaqueros of the South Section of the King Ranch got both their work boots and their dress boots from the Rios.

When the Kineños came to town they made an impression. Hard looking, bowlegged men, they walked with the rolling stride of those who spent most days on horseback. Few of them spoke much English. Luke Snow, the Sheriff of Willacy County, didn't let them go armed in town. They wore freshly washed and ironed Levis which were often indelibly stained by the black medicine used to doctor cattle for screwworm infestations.

In Germany and France in the mid-1970s "cowboy" style was fashionable. My friend Tom F. and I were approached by a man on a sidewalk in Munich, who offered to buy our clothes off our backs: jackets, shirts, Levis and boots.

I was at a loss for words, but Tom leaned over and hiked up one of my my pants legs, showing a boot top. It was plain, good quality cowhide, except for a single design cut into it.

"Do you know what that is?" Tom asked, pointing to the decoration.

'Nein," our new acquaintance replied.

"It's a cattle brand. The Texas Cattlemen's Association would come after any unauthorized person wearing it." Tom may have exaggerated slightly, but it served to deter the prospective clothing merchant.

Long ago the Hijos sold the Rios brand to a company in El Paso, who put it on their factory made boots. I think they may have gone broke, or were bought up by one of the big boot brands.

Zeferino Rios, Abraham's cousin made boots in Mercedes, Texas, also in the Lower Rio Graande Valley. Zeferino came from Mexico and opened his business in 1929, the year after Abraham set up shop in Raymondville. "Rios of Merciedes" now belongs to some gringos, who persist in the boot making trade.

Until a few years ago the Rios name was still on the building in Raymondiville.

RNJ

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 7 2024 3:44:16

RobF

Posts: 1611
Joined: Aug. 24 2017

RE: Cowboy boots - Redux (in reply to Richard Jernigan)

I’m happy you enjoyed the videos, Richard, I edited the first post to include the video for Day 1.

I’m also adding the following interview, which discusses the craft in more philosophical terms. I keep coming back to how these videos could be appropriately placed in the Lutherie section. This interview really brings that home.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 16 2024 2:05:38

Richard Jernigan

Posts: 3431
Joined: Jan. 20 2004
From: Austin, Texas USA

RE: Cowboy boots - Redux (in reply to RobF)

Long before Charlie Dunn and Lee Miller were making fancy boots for famous people, Abraham Rios was making them for movie stars like Gene Autry and Roy Rogers.

Texans didn't go for the bling. Nor were exotic hides like ostrich, cayman or kangaroo used, even for fancy boots. These days it's hard to find high quality boots made from plain cowhide. Styles change.

RNJ

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 16 2024 3:47:38

RobF

Posts: 1611
Joined: Aug. 24 2017

RE: Cowboy boots - Redux (in reply to Richard Jernigan)

The Rios name is still alive in boot making as Rios of Mercedes, although I think they come from a parallel branch of the same family and also the company hasn’t been in the family’s hands for quite a few decades.

Exotic materials do seem to be pretty popular in the higher priced offerings, that’s for sure, but are never seen in the area I live. Even plain leather boots aren’t that common. The Canadian climate probably has a lot to do with that.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 16 2024 5:47:12

Richard Jernigan

Posts: 3431
Joined: Jan. 20 2004
From: Austin, Texas USA

RE: Cowboy boots - Redux (in reply to Richard Jernigan)

Abaham Rios's nephew Armando Duarte Rios is in the custom boot making business in Raymondville, Texas. Armando worked for Abraham until that business closed. Later Armando opened his own shop. It's still in business, as far as I can tell. There are at least a couple of other shops in more densely populated areas of the Lower Rio Grande Valley.

I think Lee Miller's prices start around $3,000, with a 4-year wait for new customers. The makers in the Valley are much cheaper--I saw $420 quoted as Armando's lowest--and the wait is months, not years.

Since the cattle business originated in the brush country of the Entre Rios region, some say that's where the cowboy boot developed into its classic form. But Lee Miller says some say Texas, others say at the other end of the cattle drive trails in Kansas.

RNJ

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 22 2024 22:37:18

RobF

Posts: 1611
Joined: Aug. 24 2017

RE: Cowboy boots - Redux (in reply to Richard Jernigan)

Yeah, I didn’t realize when I made the first post that Lee Miller was a bookmaker to the stars, then I recently saw an interview with Lyle Lovett where he was showing off his boots. Great series, though, really relaxing to watch.

I’d still like to get a nice pair in black, but I’m not in a huge rush. I appreciate the craftsmanship and history behind a good pair of boots. I like the look of them, too, just from a design viewpoint, how form follows function in such an aesthetically pleasing manner. Kind of like staring at rosettes, heels, and headstocks for hours on end. There’s no reason for it beyond just enjoying the lines. I liked the shoes Pali was showing off, too.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 23 2024 3:03:18