The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1909-09-08
MAKES BOOTS
FOR COWBOYS
LINES COW PuNCHtRS TRADE
Kansas Cobbler Ha> Built Cp Biz
Trade in Thirty lcar>.-Wun
Praise. Then Custom.

TOPEKA. kas. sept. s.-The long
spiked heel cowboy boots Of the west
ern plains have gone TO the dis. ard.
In their place have come boots with
broad. military heels. The change in
fashion Is not due 10 some noti1n Of
a fashion deviSer in London or Paris.
The western cowboys themse've, are
responsible for it,
In the days Of old boot with a
three or four inch spiked heel was
just as essential TO the welfare and
comfort Of COW puncher as was a
six shooter. At that time COW boys
lived in the saddle. As a rule they
rode wild bronchos. II took long
heel TO make them secure in tn stir
rups. a short heel would let a mans
foot slip through the stirrup and
when that happened the man was
sometimes dragged TO death ~ his
broncho.
Life in saddle was about the only
life there was around a cattle ranch.
Wild cattle always charged on man
afoot. a bunch Of cattle would lay
no attention to a man on a broncho.
but the moment he stepped out OF The
saddle they would either go for him
or stampede.
Times Change. Also styles.
But times have changed and with
them the style of cowboy boots. Most
of the big western ranches have been
cut up and fenced. The cattle have
been tanned. A cowboy now spends al
most as much time on foot around the
corrals or fixing fences as he spends ia
the saddle. Therefore a new heel had
TO be adopted. one that would not only
protect MIN in the saddle. but also
make walking easy. He found the
combination in the TWO inch military
heel. I'll boots are made that way
now
Nest Of the cowboy boots Of ,he
western range are made in Olathe,
Kan. Thirty-three years ago {. H
Hyer was coehler for the state deaf
and dumb school al tina, place He
opened up shoe repair shop on The
side. A Colorado cowboy came bacl;
TO spend the winter with HIS relatives
at Olathe. While there he had Hver
make him a pair Of cowboy boots.
orado his new boots made a hit w;.a
the other cowboys on the ranch and
they sent in orders From that che
pair of boots Hyer has developed an
industry that employees more than
sixty shoemakers and turns out more
than 1000 pairs OF cowboy boots "a
month
Customers Over Wide Area.
Hyer has customers all over the cat
tie country. Some Of his boots even 20
TO Canada and Mexico. His trade con-
sists almost entirely Of individual ~
ders. All shipments are made by
mail Ii costs about 50 cents to mail
a pair Of boots. He paid Uncle Sam
postage bill OF nearly $500 last
year.
The cowboy boot shop is a wonder.
All work is done by hand.
Here is something unusual" said
Hyer. picking up a pair Of boots that
had shown considerable wear. '-Tho-e
boots belong TO cowboy up in Mon
tana- He lives 100 miles from rail-
road. He has mailed them TO Us to
put new heels on. Such things fire.
quently happen. Now he is 100 miles
from a shoemaker. The only way he
could get those shoes TO the nearest
shop was by mail. The same postage
brings them TO Olalhe that would take
them TO his nearest shop. Therefore
he sends them direct TO the factory
where he knows ne will get first
class job