Acme Custom Cowgirl Boots

Sweet pair of 1950s Acme cowgirl boots.

Made for Acme by the Lucchese Boot Company in San Antonio.

Lucchese made a damn good boot in those days.

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Single needle stitching

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Cowgirl Boots: Collection J. Davis

Photography: J. Davis

Vintage Cowgirl Boots

Great old cowgirl boots. Bench made. No makers mark. They remind me of boots made by C.H. Hyer, Kuykendall and Starnes.

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Heart Stitched Cowgirl Boots

Maker Unknown. ca. 1900
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Bootmakers and cobblers set-up shop in communities along the early cattle trails. Cattle drives in the 1850s could take as long as five or six months. Most started in San Antonio or Fredericksburg. The drives followed a southern route through El Paso to San Diego or Los Angeles and on north to San Francisco. Cattle were trailed to West Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Kansas... beef for the frontier forts and Indian reservations.

By 1866, ranching and cattle trailing was a thriving, growing business. The Chisholm Trail. The Goodnight-Loving Trail. The Western or Dodge City Trail. Trails that would come to define the face of the American West as we know it today.

The bootmakers, known and unknown, who lived and worked along those trails and the boots they made would come to define the Art of the Boot as we know it today.

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Cowgirl Boots: Collection J. Davis

Photography: J. Davis

Vintage Justin Cowgirl Boots

Post World War II was an extraordinary time in bootmaking history. Leather and thread no longer rationed. Inlays and exotic hides started to show up in factory made boots. Flamboyant designs quickly replaced older, conservative designs. Hollywood stars. Western style. Savvy marketing. The Golden Age of Cowboy Boots was in full swing.

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The Justin Boot Company in Fort Worth, Texas made some extraordinary cowboy and cowgirl boots in those days. Earl and John Justin, Jr. were proud of Justin's innovative designs. Justifiably so. Elaborate inlays. Bright colors. Fancy stitching. Underslung heels. Wing tips. Justin made some stunning cowboy and cowgirl boots.

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The Little Cowpoke

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1948 Justin Cowgirl Boots

The Art of the Boot
Western fashion as art by the Justin Boot Company

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Justin Cowgirl Boots: Collection J. Davis
Justin Advertising Art: Collection J. Davis

Photography: J. Davis

M.L. Leddy

Much has been written in the name of M.L. Leddy. I'm pretty certain that the words I put down here are near superfluous. But here goes...

Frank Leddy advertising art, 1947

For those who don't know, M.L. Leddy's makes the finest custom cowboy boots you can buy. Handmade. West Texas style. Bad ass. And beautiful. As cowboy boots should be.

M.L. Leddy and his five brothers started making cowboy boots in 1922. Beverly Franklin Allen, Leddy's granddaughter, and her brother, Wilson Franklin, continue that tradition today in San Angelo, Texas.

I've owned quite a few pairs of Leddy cowboy and cowgirl boots over the years. Still have regrets of having to sell a couple of pairs. Hard times. But I'm glad to have held on to the pairs that I still have. Wear 'em too. Damn good cowboy boots.

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M.L. Leddy & Sons advertising art, 1979

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Wilson Leddy, one of M.L.'s brothers, made these incredible cowgirl boots for Juanita Gray. Equestrian Artist. Rodeo Queen. Horsewoman. Cowgirl. Her boots speak her voice even today.

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M.L Leddy & Sons advertising art, 1979

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My favorite M.L. Leddy's boots. Going on forty. Still kick ass. These will tell you more about West Texas Style than you may care to know. Can't help but "walk like I mean it" when I pull these on.... and they hold a stirrup!

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Monte Foreman illustration used in 1947 Frank Leddy Boot and Saddlery Catalog
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Frank Leddy Boot and Saddlery in Ft. Worth made these boots in 1947. Notice the boot pulls set behind the side seams? Mr. Leddy called them "dog ears". A good idea... the set back pulls make it easier to get the boots on, but I think his "straddle ears" made for a better looking boot. One thing for certain though, dog ear, straddle ear or mule ear pulls a cowboy couldn't go wrong buying Leddy cowboy boots. That's still true today.

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M.L. Leddys logo, 2008

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These are a couple of years new. From M.L. Leddy's Vaquero line of cowboy and cowgirl boots. Still a challenge to get on and off. Boot pulls and bootjack required. Fit like a glove. Excellent finish. High quality cowboy boots. And reasonable. You can pay more for other makers "stock" cowboy boots, but you can't get any better.


These bad boy M.L. Leddy's Vaquero boots come with a story too. I'll get to that another time.

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Juanita Gray's M.L. Leddy's boots. Former Collection: J. Davis
M.L. Leddy's cowboy boots. Collection: J. Davis
Frank Leddy cowboy boots. Collection: J. Davis
Advertising & Catalog Art. Collection: J.Davis
All photography: J. Davis

1948 Nocona Boot Co. Catalog No. 77

I've been a fan of vintage Nocona cowboy boots for longer than I can remember. Damn good cowboy boots. First class all the way.

This 1948 Nocona Boot Co. Catalog No. 77 was printed during what the late Tyler Beard referred to as the "Golden Age of Cowboy Boots". Inspired design. Master Craftsmen. Savvy Marketing. And a lot of hard work.The Nocona Cowboy Boot in all its' glory.

Ms. Enid Justin and her "boys" at Nocona were on a roll. Catalogs were the axle on which that Nocona wheel rolled. Their catalogs were mailed out, handed out and handed down. There are some extraordinary cowboy boots on these pages.





























Ms. Enid had a passion for Cowboy boots. She was an astute business woman as well. Nocona's mail order forms and self-measuring kits reflected her understanding of the market.

All "penciled in" prices on the pages of this catalog were at the hand of the original owner. The price list, order forms and a self-measuring kit associated with this catalog are posted in the archives. See: 1948 Nocona Boot Co. Mail Order Kit

1948 Nocona Boot Catalog No. 77: Collection of J. Davis
Photography: J. Davis