A Boot Collector Feature

El Dorado

“The El Dorado Handmade Boot” — a 1980s label best known to collectors through California's Thieves Market stores, and a name that's back on boot shelves today.

CategoryBoot label

First used1982

Sold throughThieves Market

Name todayDan Post (since 2011)

Two eras, one nameVintage El Dorado boots and the El Dorado boots sold today share a name but not a history. The older pairs date from the 1980s and 1990s; the current line has been a Dan Post brand since 2011.

The Story

“The El Dorado Handmade Boot” was registered as a trademark by the United States Shoe Corporation, which filed for it in 1982 and listed its first use that June. The registration described men's, women's, and children's cowboy boots “sold to western apparel stores only.” Collectors associate the label above all with Thieves Market, a Southern California western wear chain; collectors report the boots were marked exclusively for the store, and pairs are commonly listed today as “Thieves Market El Dorado.”

The original registration lapsed and was formally cancelled in 2008. Dan Post Boot Company applied for the El Dorado name in 2005 and again in 2009, and has used it since 2011 on a line of handmade Western boots that's still sold through retailers today.

What They're Known For

Handmade-labeled Western boots from the 1980s and early 1990s that now circulate as vintage finds. The label itself is the best clue to era: vintage pairs tend to read “The El Dorado Handmade Boot” and may mention Thieves Market, while current pairs come with Dan Post branding. Who built the vintage boots for U.S. Shoe hasn't been documented.

Labels & Markings

A marking from a pair in the TW Collection. Select a photo to see it full size.

The El Dorado Handmade Boot lining stamp — “The El Dorado Handmade Boot” stamped into the lining, with a size and stock number below.

A 1980s house label with a second life under Dan Post.

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