I do know that running around barefoot in tropical climes is definitely not a good idea. I picked up a terrible case of impetigo from running in the jungles in the Philippines-trying to live up to my name LOL
In the Americas, after the civil war, most of the veterans were no doubt wearing their brogans or cavalry boots from their military days. These were rather like modern chukka boots in height and had a leather sole. Surely they wore down quickly and needed frequent repair.

I'm sure you all aren't surprised that this discussion has caused me to consider the condition of my various boots and thus to buy several pairs of new ones.

There is NO substitute for durable footwear when things get difficult.

Agree entirely, crude footwear could be manufactured locally in or after any long term disaster, but would be far inferior to that which can be purchased cheaply at present.

The making or mending of footwear is very time consuming if done by hand, and therefore expensive.

I keep 10 pairs of unworn shoes to hand and several pairs of boots. The shoes that I buy are cheap and dont last that well, but ample stocks allow for replacements.

Shoes that have holes in the soles can sometimes be repaired simply and if not watertight can be reserved for indoor or dry weather use.

They also float, which is handy if your country is below sea level.

On a ranch in the 1920's - probably fairly plain leather "cowboy" boots with leather soles. When they got wet, your feet were wet until they dried out. (Nobody said being a cowboy was easy.)

By the 1920's they were probably "store bought" or mail order. Today we usually treat boots as disposable items. i.e you wear them out and throw them away. In years past most small towns had a shoe shop where you could get shoes or boots repaired at a resonable price. When the leather soles wore out, you would take them in and get them resoled for much less than buying a new pair.

Search for "CIVIL WAR SUTLERS" and you will find sites that sell reproductions of the Civil War cavalry boot. These would have been typical for the mid to late 1800's. The style that is more typical of the "modern" cowboy boot (high heals, pointed toes) developed in the late 1800's to early 1900's.

You actually picked an odd period.
between the late 1800s and the early 1900s shoe manufacturing became industrialized.
Before 1890 you could get custom made boots from a cobbler or make your own.
They varied from very crude to very fine.
The crude versions were often made the same for both feet. Not right and left like we expect now.

By about 1910 you could order a wide selection of boots from the Sear's catalog.

I'm sure all periods are odd to those who follow.

The ranch I've been walking was mostly developed by a man who drove freight into the mountains to the west by wagon and sledge about 1900. Then he started building his cattle ranch about 1910 after working for some local ranchers to learn the business. The ranchstead was abandoned in the 1940's and they moved to a different house on the property (closer to a road and maybe a better house though that one was torn down in the 1970's when it became a State Wildlife Area). (Learned all this thru a book titled RABBIT CREEK COUNTRY by Jon Thiem)


I find walks in desolate places much more interesting if I know someone has tried to make a living there in primitive conditions as it gives me lots of things to think about. Which is how the question about footwear came about.....

I agree about finding it interesting to wonder how people did things before.
I remember going to the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto a few years ago.
They have an online exhibition too.
http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/Exhibitions/Ground/english/sitemap.html

One of the things I thought odd was some of the earlier shoes were not made right or left foot. they were made with straight soles and square cut toes so they could be worn on either foot.