I had a nice day today out slogging around an old ranch that is now a State Wildlife Area. There is a layer of snow on about 2/3 of the ground and the remaining clear areas are either rocky ground or melted pasture that is thin dead grass over mud.

I was stomping along in my modern boots with tread, waterproof sole, and gore-tex lining. Add gaiters and I had pretty happy feet even in the difficult conditions. (great workout!)

I've read a book about the people who made this ranch and their life in the 1920's so as I move about the area I think of how it was for them.

So- What kind of footwear was used 100 years ago?

I imagine that since it was a cattle ranch that the owner rode his horse pretty much everywhere so he wasn't slogging in the muck for hours.... but when down on the ground fencing or whatever, I imagine that leather cowboy boots got pretty wet pretty quickly. Then they needed to be dried that evening.

Was that how they did it? Wet feet all day and dry your boots over the fire at night and replace the boots frequently (if you can)?